North Carolina HB 951: State Owned Structures (SOS) Child Care Act.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 951

Short Title: SOS (State Owned Structures) Child Care Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Helfrich, Hawkins, Liu, and Colvin (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 14, 2025
*H951-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ALLOW THE USE OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY FOR THE USE OF CHILD 2
CARE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES, TO REQUIRE RENOVATIONS OR NEW BUILDS 3
OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY TO INCLUDE A CHILD CARE CENTER OR ADULT 4
CARE CENTER, TO CREATE A PILOT PROGRAM FOR USE OF STATE-OWNED 5
PROPERTY FOR CHILD CARE FACILITIES FOR STATE EMPLOYEES, TO CREATE 6
A PILOT PROGRAM FOR COUNTY GRANTS FOR THIRD-SHIFT CHILD CARE FOR 7
FIRST RESPONDERS, TO REQUIRE A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR ON-SITE CHILD 8
CARE AT EACH NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND COLLEGE IN 9
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SYSTEM, AND TO ESTABLISH A 10
WORKGROUP TO EXAMINE STREAMLINING LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR 11
PHYSICAL STRUCTURES FOR COMMERCIAL CHILD CARE FACILITIES. 12
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 13
14
PART I. USE OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS FOR 15
STATE EMPLOYEES 16
SECTION 1.(a) The Department of Administration shall report to the Joint 17
Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Joint Legislative 18
Commission on Governmental Operations, no later than March 31, 2026, on the feasibility and 19
advisability of using obsolete or underutilized State-owned buildings (available buildings) to 20
house child care facilities giving child care priority to State employees. The report shall include 21
the following: 22
(1) Location of each available building. 23
(2) Estimated costs for upfitting each property to meet daycare licensing 24
standards. 25
(3) Estimated costs for asbestos and lead remediation. 26
(4) Barriers to the available buildings' use as a child care facility. 27
SECTION 1.(b) Any project undertaken by the State to build or renovate property 28
having a budget greater than five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall include a child care center or 29
adult day care center if more than 250 people would work in the building. This requirement 30
includes current projects which have not broken ground by July 1, 2025, unless one or both of 31
the following exceptions apply: 32
(1) Inclusion of either type of center would delay the project by six months or 33
more. 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 951-First Edition
(2) Inclusion of either type of center would increase the project cost by ten percent 1
(10%) or more. 2
3
PART II. CHILD CARE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES 4
SECTION 2.(a) The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall 5
establish a pilot program for onsite child care for State employees as follows: 6
(1) The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall contract with 7
a private commercial child care provider to establish three child care centers 8
for State employees' use to be established on State-owned property that is 9
unused or underutilized. 10
(2) Priority in contracting shall be given to commercial child care providers who 11
currently operate five or fewer facilities and provide high-quality child care. 12
(3) The Division of Child Development and Early Education must include the 13
following terms in the contract with the commercial child care providers: 14
a. The child care facility must operate an apprenticeship program in 15
conjunction with a public or private university or community college 16
who operates an early child care education program. 17
b. The child care center must comply with the requirements established 18
by the Division of Child Development and Early Education for the 19
apprenticeship program. 20
c. The child care center must maintain the operation of the apprenticeship 21
program for so long as the child care center is housed in State-owned 22
property and the university or community college is willing to 23
continue the partnership. 24
d. The State will provide the upfit cost of the space to meet the licensure 25
requirements at reasonable levels that are customary at the operators' 26
other facilities and those similarly situated and provide use of the space 27
rent free, notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 146-29.1. 28
e. The lease terms for State-owned property must be approved as 29
required by G.S. 146-27. 30
SECTION 2.(b) The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall 31
create the requirements for the apprenticeship program and pair the child care centers with a 32
university or community college early education program utilizing parameters similar to the 33
Durham Childcare Apprenticeship Program. 34
SECTION 2.(c) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 35
Health and Human Services the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) for the 2025-2026 fiscal 36