NC H542

Appropriates $7,500,000 in nonrecurring funds from the ARPA Temporary Savings Fund for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium ($15 million total) to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC) for mental and behavioral health services in child care facilities and out-of-school programs

NCPC must distribute funds to local partnerships for services including health care access, parent education, quality child care, and Parents as Teachers programs; funds must supplement, not replace, existing Smart Start behavioral health spending

Requires NCPC to submit a progress report by March 15, 2026, and a final report by November 15, 2027, detailing which partnerships received funds, number of children served, types of services provided, and recommendations for future expansion

Establishes the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., Special Fund as an interest-bearing, nonreverting special fund in the Department of Health and Human Services for Smart Start appropriations

Allows NCPC to hold up to $5,000,000 in cash beyond incurred expenditures at fiscal year end and requires annual financial status reports to the Division of Child Development and Early Education by August 1