summary
Introduced
03/13/2025
03/13/2025
In Committee
03/17/2025
03/17/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2025-2026 Session
Bill Summary
AN ACT TO CONTINUE FUNDING FOR CHILD CARE STABILIZATION GRANTS. Whereas, accessible child care is essential for the continued growth of North Carolina's economy; and Whereas, there is bipartisan consensus that child care must be a focus of the 2025-2027 legislative biennium; and Whereas, one in five employers cite child care issues as a barrier to hiring; and Whereas, the cost of operating a child care facility continues to rise even as parents' ability to afford it declines; and Whereas, child care providers and the families they serve have not recovered from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; and Whereas, the failure to continue to provide for child care stabilization grants will lead to the closure of an estimated 20% of all child care facilities in our State within the next year; and Whereas, we affirm that State investment in our child care providers is an investment in the economic development of current and future generations; Now, therefore,
AI Summary
This bill provides $50 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Child Development and Early Education for child care stabilization grants during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The funding is specifically designated to continue compensation grants at the current fiscal year level through the fourth quarter. The bill's context, as outlined in its whereas clauses, highlights the critical importance of child care for the state's economic development, noting that one in five employers see child care issues as a hiring barrier and that without continued support, an estimated 20% of child care facilities could close within the next year. The legislation aims to provide ongoing financial support to child care providers who have not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts, recognizing that investment in child care is an investment in the state's current and future economic growth. The act will become effective immediately upon becoming law.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance
Sponsors (10)
Woodson Bradley (D)*,
Sophia Chitlik (D)*,
Gladys Robinson (D)*,
Val Applewhite (D),
Sydney Batch (D),
Lisa Grafstein (D),
Mujtaba Mohammed (D),
Natalie Murdock (D),
Kandie Smith (D),
Caleb Theodros (D),
Last Action
Re-ref Com On Appropriations/Base Budget (on 03/17/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S281 |
| BillText | https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/Bills/Senate/PDF/S281v1.pdf |
| BillText | https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/Bills/Senate/PDF/S281v0.pdf |
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