State Rep. Beth Helfrich has introduced new legislation in the North Carolina House that would redirect scholarship resources to child care subsidies and increase support for early childhood initiatives, the North Carolina State House reports.
Filed as HB 1066 on April 27 in the 2025 regular session, the proposal carries the short title: ‘Child Care Stabilization & Affordability Act.’
The summary below is based on details from the official bill text, with clarifications included for better understanding of its sections.
The proposed law would reallocate several hundred million dollars from the Opportunity Scholarship program to child care subsidies, tighten eligibility criteria and award amounts for scholarships, and open scholarship awards to 4-year-olds beginning July 1, 2026. It would also make the Tri-Share child care cost-sharing program permanent, reactivate and expand a refundable child tax credit for tax years starting in 2026, fund apprenticeship grants in early childhood at community colleges, establish a streamlined provider portal, explore using public and state facilities for child care, update policies for religious child care programs, increase and tie subsidy reimbursement rates to inflation, grow wage supplements, and introduce a health coverage pool managed by the state for child care employers and employees.
Among the bill’s four sponsors, Lindsey Prather introduced the highest number of bills (35) during the 2025 regular session.
In North Carolina, bills become law through a multi-step legislative process. Each measure must be filed, reviewed in committee, passed three times by both chambers, and, if changes are made, reviewed until both approve the same version. When agreed upon by the House and Senate, the measure moves to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 days if not in session) to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without a signature.
Learn more about these and other legislative actions here.
Helfrich earned a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College in 2003.
A Democrat, Helfrich was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2025 to represent the 98th House district, succeeding John Bradford III.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beth Helfrich, Brandon Lofton, Julie von Haefen, and Lindsey Prather | HB 1066 | 04/27/2026 | Child Care Stabilization & Affordability Act. |
| Beth Helfrich, Lindsey Prather, Monika Johnson-Hostler, and Tim Longest | HB 1063 | 04/27/2026 | Ratepayer and Resource Protection Act. |
| Beth Helfrich, Eric Ager, Rodney D. Pierce, and Zack Hawkins | HB 937 | 04/10/2025 | Keeping Our Coaches Act. |
| Beth Helfrich, Julie von Haefen, and Tracy Clark | HB 940 | 04/10/2025 | Protection Against Pregnancy Discrimination. |
| Beth Helfrich, Mike Colvin, Ya Liu, and Zack Hawkins | HB 951 | 04/10/2025 | SOS (State Owned Structures) Child Care Act. |
| Beth Helfrich, Brian Turner, Phil Rubin, and Sarah Crawford | HB 952 | 04/10/2025 | Comprehensive Capital for Childcare Expansion. |
| Beth Helfrich, Brandon Lofton, Laura Budd, and Mary Belk | HB 840 | 04/09/2025 | Reward Schools for Student Growth. |
| Beth Helfrich, Becky Carney, Julia Greenfield, and Sarah Crawford | HB 842 | 04/09/2025 | Vis., Hear., Dental Screenings Opt-Out. |
| Beth Helfrich, Heather H. Rhyne, John A. Torbett, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 845 | 04/09/2025 | Reduce Drowning Risk/Public Docks. |
| Beth Helfrich | HB 858 | 04/09/2025 | Funds/N. Mecklenburg Public Safety. |
| Beth Helfrich, Amos L. Quick, III, Julie von Haefen, and Tracy Clark | HB 809 | 04/07/2025 | Count NC Pre-K for School ADM. |
| Beth Helfrich, Becky Carney, Carolyn G. Logan, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 764 | 04/03/2025 | Establish Death by Reckless Boating. |
| Beth Helfrich, Abe Jones, Phil Rubin, and Tracy Clark | HB 643 | 04/01/2025 | Clarify Firearm Storage Law. |
| Beth Helfrich, Brandon Lofton, Julie von Haefen, and Lindsey Prather | HB 651 | 04/01/2025 | Reduce Parent Copays/Child Care Subsidy/Funds. |
| Beth Helfrich, Brandon Lofton, Robert T. Reives, II, and Tim Longest | HB 628 | 03/31/2025 | Reenact Child Tax Credit. |
| Beth Helfrich, Charles Smith, Terry M. Brown Jr., and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 635 | 03/31/2025 | Increase Access to Fertility Treatment. |
| Beth Helfrich, Bryan Cohn, Dante Pittman, and Lindsey Prather | HB 473 | 03/20/2025 | Right to IVF. |
| Beth Helfrich, Julia Greenfield, Lindsey Prather, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 474 | 03/20/2025 | Right to Use Contraception. |
| Beth Helfrich, Lindsey Prather, Marcia Morey, and Pricey Harrison | HB 322 | 03/06/2025 | Make General Assembly Records Public. |
| Beth Helfrich | HB 323 | 03/06/2025 | Down-Zoning/Cornelius/Davidson/Huntersville. |
