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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina HB 648 clarifies nonrelative placement timing and relative preference rules for juveniles
Last action · April 30, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate (Senate action)Sponsors: Stevens and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina HB 648 requires courts and departments of social services to prioritize relative placements and make specific findings of fact before considering nonrelative placements for juveniles in or , effective October 1, 2025.
Changes the legal standards and procedural requirements for child welfare agencies and family courts handling abused, neglected, or dependent juveniles, directly affecting placement decisions and timelines for relatives and foster care providers.
- North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 7B governs the state's juvenile code, including abuse, neglect, dependency, and custody proceedings. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Juveniles
Juveniles subject to nonsecure custody or disposition have placement priorities shifted toward relatives and sibling groups.
County Departments of Social Services
Social services departments must conduct due diligence to notify adult relatives within 30 days and make reasonable efforts to keep sibling groups together.
Relatively Qualified Caregivers
Relatives receive statutory priority for home placement and care supervision of juveniles over nonrelatives.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a court do before placing a juvenile with a nonrelative?
How quickly must social services notify relatives after a child is removed?
Are there specific rules regarding sibling placements?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
14 actions- Apr 30, 2025SenateRef To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
- Apr 30, 2025SenatePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 30, 2025SenateRegular Message Received From House
- Apr 30, 2025HouseRegular Message Sent To Senate
- Apr 29, 2025HousePassed 3rd Reading
- Apr 29, 2025HousePassed 2nd Reading
Show 8 earlier actions
- Apr 28, 2025HousePlaced On Cal For 04/29/2025
- Apr 28, 2025HouseCal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
- Apr 28, 2025HouseReptd Fav
- Apr 15, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 15, 2025HouseReptd Fav Com Substitute
- Apr 2, 2025HouseRef to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 2, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 1, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Second Reading
Total
115
- Yes
- 105
- No
- 3
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 7
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (115)
91 more members
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Relative Placement Findings
The bill tightens procedural hurdles for nonrelative placements by explicitly requiring documented factual findings that relative options are unavailable or unsuitable.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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