As budget negotiations between House and Senate leaders remain deadlocked, and with lawmakers planning to adjourn next week without a set return date, several significant measures moved forward in the General Assembly. Chief among them was House Bill 193, Return America’s most important legislative priority this session, which advanced after being stalled for weeks. Other critical bills, strengthening parental rights, protecting children from online exploitation, and radical medical practices, also saw forward motion. Meanwhile, legislation regulating hemp-derived intoxicants passed the Senate, which has merit, although Return America remains concerned about the message it sends by legitimizing these products for adult use. All of this is covered in this week’s update.
GREAT NEWS: Bill That Would Allow Christian Schools to Protect Themselves Advances with Strong Support from Return America
Return America’s most important legislative priority this session took a major step forward this week. House Bill 193 – Firearm Law Revisions, the companion to Senate Bill 280, had been stalled in the Senate Rules Committee but moved on Thursday and was taken up by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill, which seeks to give private and Christian schools the ability to defend themselves in the face of mass shootings, passed with some amendments, none of which undermined the bill’s core mission to empower school leaders to protect their students.
If enacted, HB 193 would permit employees and authorized volunteers at private (non-public) schools to carry firearms or stun guns on campus, provided they hold a concealed carry permit, complete annual advanced firearms training, and receive written authorization from the school. The school must also adopt written safety protocols and inform parents. In addition, the bill permits individuals with concealed carry permits to carry handguns during religious services and sacred ceremonies held on the grounds of religious schools, even during school hours, unless signs prohibit it. The legislation also shields relocated law enforcement shooting ranges from burdensome local restrictions, preserving essential training capacity.
The Senate added language to increase criminal penalties for assaults or threats against state and local elected officials, judges, and election officers, upgrading these offenses to more serious felonies. It further requires that any individual charged with such an offense must have their pretrial release conditions determined by a judge, rather than a magistrate, ensuring closer scrutiny and greater public protection.
Rev. Mark Creech, Director of Government Relations for Return America, offered passionate testimony in support of the measure: “Evil walked through the doors of The Covenant School in Nashville last year – armed, deliberate, and deadly,” Creech reminded the Judiciary Committee. He said that the school shooting was a flashing red light, asking when the same happens at a Christian school in North Carolina, “Who will be there to stop it?” He reminded lawmakers that current law denies even highly trained, licensed individuals the ability to protect students on private school campuses. “You can give school leaders a fighting chance, because evil is real,” he urged. Dr. Ron Baity, Return America’s president, was also encouraged by the bill’s progress, saying, “This is further than we’ve ever gotten before.”
The measure will likely be considered by the Senate Rules Committee early next week. If passed, it will go to the Senate floor for a full vote. Due to its amendments, it will need to return to the House for concurrence, then proceed to the Governor’s desk.
Read Rev. Mark Creech’s editorial on HB 193 that appeared in the Greensboro News Record
The Parents Protection Act Clears House with Amendments
This week, North Carolina lawmakers in the House passed Senate Bill 442 – Parents Protection Act. The bill says that parents or guardians cannot be accused of child abuse or neglect just because they raise or refer to a child based on the child’s biological sex. It also makes sure that adoption agencies cannot reject someone from adopting a child just because they don’t support gender-transition care. In other words, if a parent doesn’t want a child to transition to a different gender, that alone can’t be used against them in abuse or adoption decisions.
The bill had already passed the Senate earlier in the session, but the House made a few changes this week. Because of this, the Senate will need to concur with the House changes before the bill can be sent to the governor for approval. The House passed the bill mostly along party lines, with Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed, although nine Democrats voted in favor of it. A similar bill in the House had stalled earlier, but this version moved quickly through committees and passed on Wednesday.
Sexual Exploitation Bill Broadened to Address Additional Threats to Children
House Bill 805 – Prevent Sexual Exploitation Women/Minors – passed initially by the North Carolina House with unanimous bipartisan support. Its initial focus was to combat the online sexual exploitation of women and minors, ensuring that explicit images could not be shared on pornographic websites without a person’s consent. This vital protection addressed a growing concern in the digital age and was widely seen as a strong stand for human dignity and decency.
However, recognizing the broader threats to children and families in today’s cultural climate, the North Carolina Senate expanded the bill’s scope to address other critical issues. These conservative-led improvements included safeguards against the irreversible harms of gender-transition procedures on minors. The revised bill now allows individuals to hold medical providers accountable, up to 10 years after a transition procedure, for failing to adequately inform or protect vulnerable patients undergoing so-called “gender-affirming care.” These changes represent a compassionate and informed response to a medical trend that, in many cases, has led to regret and serious long-term consequences.
In addition, the Senate version of HB 805 further strengthened parental rights in education. It ensures transparency in school libraries by requiring schools to publish book lists and gives parents the right to shield their children from content that contradicts their faith or values. The bill also affirms the God-given distinctions between male and female in state law. It ensures that taxpayer funds are not used to support gender transition surgeries for inmates, but measures that uphold both biblical truth and responsible care for public resources.
Although opponents claim the additions are “controversial,” the Senate’s actions reflect the will of concerned parents and citizens across North Carolina. Groups like Moms for Liberty were present at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and praised these reforms as overdue protections for children and family integrity. Return America also supports HB 805 in its strengthened form, recognizing it as a bold and necessary defense of morality, parental authority, and truth in public policy.
This week, the bill passed the Senate Judiciary and Rules committees and has been calendared for consideration by the full Senate on Monday of next week. If passed, the legislation will return for concurrence by the House before moving to Governor Stein’s desk.
“I think we have to be realistic about this bill. It’s good, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the House does not concur and the measure goes to conference,” said Rev. Mark Creech, director of Government Relations for Return America. “In conference, the House will be concerned about what the Governor will sign.”
In Related News: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Law Banning Gender Transition Procedures for Minors
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark 6-3 ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s law that prohibits the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender transition surgeries on minors. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, stated that the Court’s role was to determine whether the law violated the Equal Protection Clause and concluded that it did not. The decision affirms the right of states to regulate these medical procedures for children and defers broader policy questions to the democratic process. Tennessee’s SAFE Act, enacted in 2023, aims to shield minors from what it characterizes as experimental and potentially harmful interventions. The ruling is expected to reinforce similar laws in at least 26 other states. It signals a significant legal and cultural shift in the national conversation surrounding gender-related medical treatments for minors.
Restricted for Ages Under 21 and Regulated for Adults: HB 328 Advances with Broader Hemp Restrictions
This week, the North Carolina Senate passed HB 328 – Regulate Hemp-Derived Consumables, legislation aimed at keeping intoxicating hemp-derived products, specifically Delta 8 and Delta 9, off school grounds. Initially focused on banning these substances from school property regardless of age, the bill has since been amended to impose broader regulations on hemp-derived products statewide. These include age restrictions for purchase (21 and older), licensing and testing requirements for sellers, and clear packaging guidelines to prevent marketing to minors. Additionally, HB 328 mandates that public and non-public schools adopt policies prohibiting the use of these products on educational property, effective with the 2025–2026 school year.
Return America addressed the bill in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 19, where Rev. Mark Creech, Director of Government Relations, discussed both the merits and concerns surrounding the legislation. “Let me begin by commending the intent of this bill – to keep our schools drug-free and to protect young people from exposure to hemp-derived intoxicants. That is both wise and necessary,” he said. “We’ve seen these products – Delta-8, Delta-9, and others – flood the market in forms that are deceptively packaged, easily concealed, and dangerously potent. No one should oppose efforts to keep them out of our schools.”
However, Rev. Creech also raised a cautionary note. “In crafting this bill, we’re doing more than banning these substances from school grounds; we’re also creating a regulatory pathway for their sale and consumption by adults… We urge the Committee to consider whether we are inadvertently normalizing recreational use, not just for this generation, but for generations to come.” Return America encourages lawmakers to carefully weigh the long-term societal implications of legitimizing these substances, even in the name of regulation. The measure passed 35-7, with three Democrats and four Republicans voting against it.
The bill will go back to the House for concurrence.
With the end of the legislative session rapidly approaching and uncertainty surrounding when lawmakers will return, it’s encouraging to see substantial progress on several fronts. From equipping Christian schools with the means to defend their students to affirming parental rights and safeguarding children from harmful cultural trends, this week offered real momentum. Yet even as we celebrate these victories, we remain cautious about measures like HB 328, which, although well-intentioned, may inadvertently normalize the use of dangerous substances. Return America will continue to speak truth to power and work tirelessly to promote laws that reflect biblical values and protect North Carolina families.
