Rep. Cunningham files bill in North Carolina House to expand teen mental health training

A new bill filed by State Rep. Carla D. Cunningham seeks to enhance access to mental health training for high school students across North Carolina, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 766 on April 3 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Expand Access to Teen Mental Health First Aid.’

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

In essence, this bill allocates $1.873 million in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-26 fiscal year to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child and Family Well-Being, to enhance access to Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training statewide. The initiative targets high school students, teaching them to recognize and respond to mental health and substance use challenges among peers. The tMHFA curriculum, already implemented in ten counties, has resulted in a significant increase in students’ willingness to seek help. The funding aims to extend this training further across the state. The act becomes effective July 1, 2025.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Donny Lambeth proposed the most bills (52) during the 2025 regular session.

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.