North Carolina 2025 Session Status: Passed House 3 R cosponsors

HB 981 — Local Schools Open Enrollment Study.

Last action — Special Message Sent To Senate

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

This bill has passed the House. Introduced April 10, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Moderate chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a moderate 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 52% · moderate confidence

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    2 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (3 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

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

5 added · 6 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the updated version of House Bill 981, the language has been clarified and some inconsistencies have been corrected, specifically regarding local school boards' authority over student enrollment. This change is important because it ensures that the rules governing open enrollment are clear and consistent, potentially affecting how schools manage student enrollment requests. By reinforcing the responsibilities of school boards, the state aims to improve the overall effectiveness of the enrollment process.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 2 HOUSE BILL 981 Corrected Copy 4/15/25 Short Title:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 981 Short Title:
Local Schools Open Enrollment.
LSAU Open Enrollment.
Local boards of education are only required to accept applications for alternate enrollment during enrollment periods and are only required to have two enrollment *H981-v-2* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 periods per year, one at the beginning of the school year and one approximately halfway through the school year.
Local boards of education are only required to accept applications for alternate enrollment during enrollment periods and are only required to have two enrollment *H981-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 periods per year, one at the beginning of the school year and one approximately halfway through the school year.
(4) The State Board of Education shall consider the appeal at its next scheduled meeting, where the student, the student's parent or legal guardian, and a representative from the local school administrative unit that issued the denial or revocation may address the Board." Page 2 House Bill 981-Second Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 SECTION 2.
(4) The State Board of Education shall consider the appeal at its next scheduled meeting, where the student, the student's parent or legal guardian, and a representative from the local school administrative unit that issued the denial or revocation may address the Board." Page 2 House Bill 981-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 SECTION 2.
House Bill 981-Second Edition Page 3
House Bill 981-First Edition Page 3
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Action History

  1. Special Message Sent To Senate

  2. Special Message Received From House

  3. Passed 1st Reading

  4. Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  5. Reptd Fav

  6. Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)

  7. Added to Calendar

  8. Passed 2nd Reading

  9. Passed 3rd Reading

  10. Reptd Fav Com Substitute

  11. Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  12. Passed 1st Reading

  13. Ref to the Com on Education - K-12, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  14. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

2 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 176 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (176)

176 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 176 →

"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

Votes

Second Reading

Passed 117 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 32002
Republican 57000
Unaffiliated 26001
U 2000
Total 117003
% of votes cast 98%0%0%3%
How each member voted (120)
Member Party Vote
Autry — Yea
Clemmons — Yea
Gill — Yea
Harris — Yea
Rudow — Yea
CharlesSmith — Yea
Staton-Williams — Yea
vonHaefen — Yea
Wray — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Cleveland — Yea
Crutchfield — Yea
Elmore — Yea
Faircloth — Yea
Fontenot — Yea
Hardister — Yea
Lowery — Yea
Mills — Yea
Moore — Yea
Reeder — Yea
Saine — Yea
Sasser — Yea
CarsonSmith — Yea
Sossamon — Yea
Lucas — Not Voting
F. Jackson — Yea
K. Baker — Yea
Abe Jones Democratic Yea
Allen Buansi Democratic Yea
Allison A. Dahle Democratic Yea
Amber M. Baker Democratic Not Voting
Amos L. Quick, III Democratic Yea
B. Ray Jeffers Democratic Yea
Becky Carney Democratic Yea
Brandon Lofton Democratic Yea
Carolyn G. Logan Democratic Yea
Cecil Brockman Democratic Yea
Cynthia Ball Democratic Yea
Deb Butler Democratic Yea
Eric Ager Democratic Yea
Garland E. Pierce Democratic Yea
Gloristine Brown Democratic Yea
James Roberson Democratic Yea
Joe John Democratic Yea
Kanika Brown Democratic Yea
Laura Budd Democratic Yea
Lindsey Prather Democratic Yea
Marcia Morey Democratic Yea
Maria Cervania Democratic Yea
Mary Belk Democratic Yea
Pricey Harrison Democratic Yea
Renée A. Price Democratic Yea
Robert T. Reives, II Democratic Not Voting
Sarah Crawford Democratic Yea
Shelly Willingham Democratic Yea
Terence Everitt Democratic Yea
Terry M. Brown Jr. Democratic Yea
Tim Longest Democratic Yea
Vernetta Alston Democratic Yea
Ya Liu Democratic Yea
Zack Hawkins Democratic Yea
A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr. Republican Yea
Allen Chesser Republican Yea
Ben T. Moss, Jr. Republican Yea
Bill Ward Republican Yea
Brenden H. Jones Republican Yea
Brian Biggs Republican Yea
Celeste C. Cairns Republican Yea
Charles W. Miller Republican Yea
Chris Humphrey Republican Yea
David Willis Republican Yea
Dean Arp Republican Yea
Dennis Riddell Republican Yea
Destin Hall Republican Yea
Diane Wheatley Republican Yea
Donna McDowell White Republican Yea
Donnie Loftis Republican Yea
Donny Lambeth Republican Yea
Dudley Greene Republican Yea
Edward C. Goodwin Republican Yea
Erin Paré Republican Yea
Frank Iler Republican Yea
Harry Warren Republican Yea
Howard Penny, Jr. Republican Yea
Hugh Blackwell Republican Yea
Jake Johnson Republican Yea
Jay Adams Republican Yea
Jeff Zenger Republican Yea
Jeffrey C. McNeely Republican Yea
Jennifer Balkcom Republican Yea
Jimmy Dixon Republican Yea
John A. Torbett Republican Yea
John R. Bell, IV Republican Yea
John Sauls Republican Yea
Joseph Pike Republican Yea
Julia C. Howard Republican Yea
Karl E. Gillespie Republican Yea
Keith Kidwell Republican Yea
Kelly E. Hastings Republican Yea
Kyle Hall Republican Yea
Larry C. Strickland Republican Yea
Larry W. Potts Republican Yea
Mark Brody Republican Yea
Mark Pless Republican Yea
Matthew Winslow Republican Yea
Mike Clampitt Republican Yea
Mitchell S. Setzer Republican Yea
Neal Jackson Republican Yea
Phil Shepard Republican Yea
Ray Pickett Republican Yea
Sam Watford Republican Yea
Sarah Stevens Republican Yea
Stephen M. Ross Republican Yea
Steve Tyson Republican Yea
Ted Davis, Jr. Republican Yea
Tricia Ann Cotham Republican Yea
W. Ted Alexander Republican Yea
William D. Brisson Republican Yea
Carla D. Cunningham U Yea
Nasif Majeed U Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

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 981?
HB 981 is sponsored by David Willis (Republican), Heather H. Rhyne (Republican), and Mike Schietzelt (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 981?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced April 10, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 981?
Track HB 981 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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