North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 9 R · 1 D · 1 I cosponsors

HB 165 — Child and Family Welfare Ombudsman Office.

Last action — Serial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Stricken

  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 February 21, 2025. 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.

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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.

  • 11 sponsors

    1 primary, 10 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 3 parties (9 R · 1 D · 1 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.

In plain language

Establishes an Office of Child and Family Welfare Ombudsman.

This bill creates an office to handle complaints and advocacy related to child and family welfare issues. The office will aim to improve services and responses for families in need.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families can have a dedicated voice to address issues related to child welfare services.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

54 added · 53 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amended version of House Bill 165 includes added provisions aimed at improving support for foster parents. Specifically, it now specifies the Office's duties to include offering educational resources, gathering information on complaints, and facilitating mediation between involved parties. These changes are important because they enhance transparency and support for foster families, making the system more user-friendly and effective in addressing their needs and concerns.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 165 Short Title:
165 Feb 21, 2025 SESSION 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH30076-NBa-40 Short Title:
Representative Torbett.
Representatives Torbett and Loftis (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 ESTABLISH THE CHILD AND FAMILY WELFARE OMBUDSMAN OFFICE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House February 24, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE CHILD AND FAMILY WELFARE OMBUDSMAN OFFICE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
The Office shall focus on youth, birth families, and resource parents that are directly involved in the North Carolina child welfare system, including (i) assisting foster parents with issues, (ii) resolving conflicts related to the licensing of family and therapeutic foster homes, (iii) placing children in foster care and assisting in adoption procedures, and (iv) providing support and information to assist the foster care process, and (v) other related matters.
The Office shall focus on youth, birth families, and resource parents that are directly involved in the North Carolina child welfare system, including (i) assisting foster parents with issues, (ii) resolving conflicts related to the licensing of familyand therapeutic foster homes, (iii) placing children in foster care and assisting in adoption procedures, and (iv) providing support and information to assist the foster care process, and (v) other related matters.
(5) Offer classes or instructional videos to resource parents to assist in the licensure process.
*H165-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (5) Offer classes or instructional videos to resource parents to assist in the licensure process.
*DRH30076-NBa-40* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (6) Identify resources for resource parents seeking licensure approval, modification of foster homes, or other support resources.
(6) Identify resources for resource parents seeking licensure approval, modification of foster homes, or other support resources.
– It is the policy of this State that persons in the foster care systemhavetherighttoreportviolationsoflaworethicalconcernstotheOfficefortheprotection of the public.
– It is the policyof this State that persons in the foster care systemhavetherighttoreportviolationsoflaworethicalconcernstotheOfficefortheprotection of the public.
The Office shall conduct a review of every report and determine the correct action to take to protect the whistleblower depending on the circumstances of each report, including referring the report to the proper law enforcement agency or the Office of the Attorney General for review.
The Office shall conduct a review of every report and determine the correct action to take to protect the whistleblower depending on the circumstances of each report, including referring the report to the proper law enforcement agencyor the Office of the AttorneyGeneral for review.
There is appropriated the recurring sum of one hundred thirty-seven thousand dollars ($137,000) for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and one hundred forty-five thousand dollars($145,000)forthe2026-2027fiscalyeartotheDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices to establish the Child and Family Welfare Ombudsman Office and hire one full-time equivalent employee.
There is appropriated the recurring sum of one hundred thirty-seven thousand dollars ($137,000) for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and one hundred forty-five thousand dollars($145,000)forthe2026-2027fiscal yeartotheDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices to establish the Child and Family Welfare Ombudsman Office and hire one full-time equivalent employee.
Page 2 DRH30076-NBa-40
Page 2 House Bill 165-First Edition
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Action History

  1. Serial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Stricken

  2. Withdrawn From Com

  3. Re-ref to the Com on Health, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  4. Passed 1st Reading

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

  6. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 10 co-sponsors · 168 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (10)

Not signed on (168)

168 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 168 →

"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 healthcare 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 165?
HB 165 is sponsored by David Willis (Republican), Shelly Willingham (Democratic), Bill Ward (Republican), Ben T. Moss, Jr. (Republican), Jeffrey C. McNeely (Republican), Neal Jackson (Republican), Carla D. Cunningham (U), Tricia Ann Cotham (Republican), Jerry "Alan" Branson (Republican), Donnie Loftis (Republican), and John A. Torbett (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 165?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 165?
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