North Carolina SB 677: SOS (State Owned Structures) Childcare Act.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 677

Short Title: SOS (State Owned Structures) Childcare Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Chitlik, Chaudhuri, and Everitt (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S677-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ALLOW THE USE OF STATE OWNED PROPERTY FOR THE USE OF 2
CHILDCARE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES, REQUIRE RENOVATIONS OR NEW 3
BUILDS OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY TO INCLUDE A CHILDCARE CENTER OR 4
ADULT CARE CENTER, CREATE A PILOT PROGRAM FOR USE OF STATE-OWNED 5
PROPERTY FOR CHILDCARE FACILITIES FOR STATE EMPLOYEES, TO CREATE 6
A PILOT PROGRAM FOR COUNTY GRANTS FOR THIRD-SHIFT CHILDCARE FOR 7
FIRST RESPONDERS, REQUIRE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR ONSITE CHILDCARE 8
AT EACH NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND COLLEGE IN THE 9
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SYSTEM, ESTABLISH WORKGROUP TO 10
EXAMINE STREAMLINING LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR PHYSICAL 11
STRUCTURES FOR COMMERCIAL CHILDCARE FACILITIES. 12
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 13
14
PART I. USE OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY FOR CHILDCARE 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 childcare facilities giving childcare 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 childcare 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
(2) Inclusion of either type of center would increase the project cost by 10% or 35
more. 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 677-First Edition
1
PART II. CHILDCARE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES 2
SECTION 2.(a) The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall 3
establish a pilot program for onsite childcare for State employees as follows: 4
(1) The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall contract with 5
a private commercial childcare provider to establish three childcare centers 6
for State employees use to be established on State-owned property that is 7
unused or underutilized. 8
(2) Priority in contracting shall be given to commercial childcare providers who 9
currently operate five or fewer facilities and provide high quality childcare. 10
(3) The Division of Child Development and Early Education must include the 11
following terms in the contract with the commercial childcare providers: 12
a. The childcare facility must operate an apprenticeship program in 13
conjunction with a public or private university or community college 14
who operates an early childcare education program. 15
b. The childcare center must comply with the requirements established 16
by the Division of Child Development and Early Education for 17
apprenticeship program. 18
c. The childcare center must maintain the operation of the apprenticeship 19
program for so long as the childcare center is housed in state-owned 20
property and the university or community college is willing to 21
continue the partnership. 22
d. The State will provide the upfit cost of the space to meet the licensure 23
requirements at reasonable levels that are customary at the operators' 24
other facilities and those similarly situated and provide use of the space 25
rent free, notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 146-29.1. 26
e. The lease terms for state-owned property must be approved as required 27
by G.S. 146-27. 28
SECTION 2.(b) The Division of Child Development and Early Education shall 29
create the requirements for the apprenticeship program and pair the childcare centers with a 30
university or community college early education program utilizing parameters similar to the 31
Durham Childcare Apprenticeship Program. 32
SECTION 2.(c) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 33
Health and Human Resources the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) for the 2025-2026 34
fiscal year for the Division of Child Development and Early Education's use in establishing the 35
childcare centers as required by Section 2(a) of this act. 36
SECTION 2.(d) I