North Carolina Rep. Cunningham’s school safety grant revision bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill sponsored by State Rep. Carla D. Cunningham aims to revise the allocation of funds under the School Safety Grants Program to support training initiatives that improve school safety and promote community collaboration, according to the North Carolina State House.

In the House, 44 Democrats and 62 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, six Democrats and 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while nine Democrats voted against it.

Cunningham filed the bill in the North Carolina House on April 8 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as HB 832, was passed on June 19 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: “Revise School Safety Grant Program.”

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

In essence, this bill seeks to revise the allocation of funds under the School Safety Grants Program, allowing the Executive Director of the Center for Safer Schools to award grants for training initiatives aimed at improving school safety. The funds will enable public school units to collaborate with community partners to provide targeted and evidence-based training for students, school employees, and health support personnel. The training includes Counseling on Access to Lethal Means for suicide prevention, evidence-based clinical treatments such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and the development of community resilience models. Additional training areas encompass child-parent psychotherapy, peer-to-peer mentoring, and education programs on violence prevention and interpersonal skills. No more than $350,000 is to be used for these services in the 2024-25 fiscal year. The act is effective upon becoming law.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Hugh Blackwell (Republican-86th District), Rep. Carla D. Cunningham (Democrat-106th District), and Rep. Diane Wheatley (Republican-43rd District), along with one other sponsor.

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.

Cunningham graduated from Central Piedmont Community College in 1981 and again in 1996 from Gaston College with an AAS.

Cunningham, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2013 to represent the state’s 106th House district, replacing previous state representative Martha B. Alexander.

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.