North Carolina Sen. Sawyer’s bill on parental choice of nursing services passes House and Senate

Passed bill sponsored by State Sen. Sawyer seeks to allow parents to select nursing service providers for their children when required by an individualized education program, aiming to accommodate parental choice within public education, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

In the House, 45 Democrats and 65 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 19 Democrats and 29 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Sawyer filed the bill in the North Carolina Senate on Feb. 11 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as SB 77, was passed on June 18 during the 2025 regular session.

According to the North Carolina General Assembly site, the bill’s official text was formally listed with the short title: “School Contracted Health Services.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends existing legislation to allow parents to choose the nursing service providers for their children when nursing services are required by an individualized education program (IEP) within North Carolina’s public education system. The bill specifies that local educational agencies must accommodate the parent’s choice of nurse if the IEP requires nursing services, the child previously received services from the selected nurse, and the chosen nurse is employed by an agency meeting standard contract terms. The conditions include the contracted rate being equal to or less than that paid to other contracted nurses. The act becomes effective upon becoming law and applies starting with the 2025-26 school year.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Vickie Sawyer (Republican-37th District) and Sen. Brad Overcash (Republican-43rd District).

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Sawyer graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1997.

Sawyer, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 37th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Jeff Jackson.

Under North Carolina law, bills must receive three readings in each chamber. According to the UNC School of Government, once a bill “passes its constitutionally required second reading and moves to its constitutionally required third reading,” additional debate can occur, but the final stage is often treated as a formality. Unless a legislator requests a roll-call, the third reading may be approved by voice vote or unanimous consent without a separate recorded tally.