North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 23 D · 5 R · 2 I cosponsors

HB 1144 — Dominique Moody Safety Act.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 30, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 31 sponsors

    3 primary, 28 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 3 parties (23 D · 5 R · 2 I) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

120 added · 117 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendments to House Bill 1144 streamline the criteria for identifying high-risk child neglect cases. Notably, the new version removes references to cases involving near-fatalities and prior child fatalities, focusing instead on specific concerns such as medical complexity and multiple prior reports of neglect or abuse. This change may help prioritize cases that urgently need intervention while broadening the scope to include families with significant histories of neglect or abuse. These adjustments aim to better safeguard vulnerable children by ensuring that the system can respond effectively to the most pressing situations.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 1144 Short Title:
1144 Apr 30, 2026 SESSION 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH40694-NBa-171 Short Title:
Representative Cunningham.
Representatives Cunningham, Chesser, Colvin, and Lambeth (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE LAWS REGARDING ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND DEPENDENCY CASES FOR JUVENILES.
Judiciary 2, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House May 4, 2026 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE LAWS REGARDING ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND DEPENDENCY CASES FOR JUVENILES.
a.
*H1144-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 a.
*DRH40694-NBa-171* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 b.
b.
7B-302, the escalation specialist may also demand, in writing, records in possession of State or local law enforcement.
7B-302, the escalation specialist mayalso demand, in writing, records in possession of State or local law enforcement.
"§ 108A-15.28.
Page 2 House Bill 1144-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 "§ 108A-15.28.
Page 2 DRH40694-NBa-171 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (a) Assessment.
(a) Assessment.
(c) Response.– Thecounty department ofsocialservices shall respond to all unaddressed safety concerns identified through the team's review process immediately or within the same day of notification.
(c) Response.
– Thecountydepartment ofsocialservices shall respond to all unaddressed safety concerns identified through the team's review process immediately or within the same day of notification.
– The team and other assigned and Division and Department of Health and Human Services staff shall review records to ensure that practices that have deficiencies are corrected and there is communication with county department staff and others to improve child welfare practice at all levels across the county departments of social services." SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services (Division), the sum of five hundred fifty thousanddollars($550,000)inrecurringfundsbeginninginthe2026-2027fiscalyear,inaddition to one hundred fifty-seven thousand dollars ($157,000) in federal receipts beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, for six full-time equivalent positions to staff and implement the Child WelfareCaseEscalationTeam,as establishedinthissection.Thesefull-timeequivalentpositions shall include human services program consultants and one human services program manager.
– The team and other assigned and Division and Department of Health and Human Services staff shall review records to ensure that practices that have deficiencies are corrected and there is communication with county department staff and others to improve child welfare practice at all levels across the county departments of social services." SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services (Division), the sum of five hundred fifty thousanddollars($550,000)inrecurringfundsbeginninginthe2026-2027fiscal year,inaddition to one hundred fifty-seven thousand dollars ($157,000) in federal receipts beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, for six full-time equivalent positions to staff and implement the Child WelfareCaseEscalationTeam,as establishedinthissection.Thesefull-timeequivalentpositions shall include human services program consultants and one human services program manager.
7B-302(h),asamendedbythisact,to ensureseamlessandcoordinated assistance for high-risk juveniles at risk of abuse or neglect.
7B-302(h),asamendedbythis act,to ensureseamlessandcoordinated assistance for high-risk juveniles at risk of abuse or neglect.
CPS EMPLOYEE ASSESSMENT HOME VISIT AND RECORD MODIFICATIONS DRH40694-NBa-171 Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 SECTION 2.(a) The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, shall adopt rules to amend Subchapter 70A of the North Carolina Administrative Code and update associated Division policies, Child Protective Services Assessments Policy, Protocol, and Guidance, and the Partnership and Technology Hub for North Carolina to require directors of departments of social services to require photographs or video evidence be gathered during an initial investigative assessment response or initial family assessment response if evidence tends toshowajuvenilesubject totheassessmenthasbeenallegedtobeabusedorneglected,consistent with the requirements of Article 3 of Subchapter I of Chapter 7B of the General Statutes.
CPS EMPLOYEE ASSESSMENT HOME VISIT AND RECORD MODIFICATIONS House Bill 1144-First Edition Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 SECTION 2.(a) The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, shall adopt rules to amend Subchapter 70A of the North Carolina Administrative Code and update associated Division policies, Child Protective Services Assessments Policy, Protocol, and Guidance, and the Partnership and Technology Hub for North Carolina to require directors of departments of social services to require photographs or video evidence be gathered during an initial investigative assessment response or initial family assessment response if evidence tends toshowajuvenilesubject totheassessmenthasbeenallegedtobeabusedorneglected,consistent with the requirements of Article 3 of Subchapter I of Chapter 7B of the General Statutes.
If a custodian of criminal investigative information orrecords believes that release of the information will jeopardize the right of the State to prosecute a defendant or the right of a defendant to receive a fair trial or will undermine an ongoing or future investigation, it may seek an order from a court ofcompetentjurisdictiontopreventdisclosureoftheinformation.Insuchanaction,thecustodian of the records shall have the burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence evidence, or clear and convincing evidence if the request is from the Child Welfare Case Escalation Team pursuant to a written demand under G.S.
If a custodian of criminal investigative information or records believes that release of the information will jeopardize the right of the State to prosecute a defendant or the right of a defendant to receive a fair trial or will undermine an ongoing or future investigation, it mayseek an order from a court ofcompetentjurisdictiontopreventdisclosureoftheinformation.
Insuchanaction,thecustodian of the records shall have the burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence evidence, or clear and convincing evidence if the request is from the Child Welfare Case Escalation Team pursuant to a written demand under G.S.
There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year for training for child Page 4 DRH40694-NBa-171 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 protective services employees and social workers employed by county departments of social services to recognize abuse and neglect.
There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year for training for child Page 4 House Bill 1144-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 protective services employees and social workers employed by county departments of social services to recognize abuse and neglect.
DRH40694-NBa-171 Page 5
House Bill 1144-First Edition Page 5
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Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 28 co-sponsors · 148 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (28)

Not signed on (148)

148 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 148 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety labor education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 1144?
HB 1144 is sponsored by Bill Ward (Republican), Phil Rubin (Democratic), Reeder, Amos L. Quick, III (Democratic), Renée A. Price (Democratic), Rodney D. Pierce (Democratic), Garland E. Pierce (Democratic), Nasif Majeed (U), Jordan Lopez (Democratic), Tim Longest (Democratic), Carolyn G. Logan (Democratic), Monika Johnson-Hostler (Democratic), Frank Iler (Republican), Pricey Harrison (Democratic), Julia Greenfield (Democratic), Bryan Cohn (Democratic), Tracy Clark (Democratic), Maria Cervania (Democratic), Becky Carney (Democratic), Terry M. Brown Jr. (Democratic), Kanika Brown (Democratic), Gloristine Brown (Democratic), Mary Belk (Democratic), Eric Ager (Democratic), Donny Lambeth (Republican), Mike Colvin (Democratic), Neal Jackson (Republican), Julie von Haefen (Democratic), Allen Chesser (Republican), Carla D. Cunningham (U), and Beth Helfrich (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 1144?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 30, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 1144?
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