Rep. Cervania files bill in North Carolina House to regulate pregnancy centers

A new bill filed by State Rep. Maria Cervania in the North Carolina House seeks to create a competitive grant system and set performance standards for pregnancy centers in the state, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 861 on April 9 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Taxpayer Accountability/Pregnancy Centers.’

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

In essence, this bill mandates the establishment of a competitive grant process and performance standards for pregnancy centers in North Carolina, effective July 1, 2025. The Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship (CPCF) is required to create a process for awarding grants, including a request for application procedure for state pregnancy centers. Grant recipients must report on various operational aspects, including client demographics and services provided. CPCF is limited to using a maximum of 15% of allocated funds for administrative purposes and must ensure that funds are used for nonsectarian purposes. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services will develop performance standards for monitoring these centers, with a mechanism for recovering state funds if standards are not met. The centers must report detailed financial and operational data annually to state authorities.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Julia Greenfield proposed the most bills (25) 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.

Cervania graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a BA.

Cervania, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 41st House district, replacing previous state representative Gale Adcock.