Rep. Butler files bill in North Carolina House to mandate green cleaning in schools

A new bill filed by State Rep. Butler in the North Carolina House seeks to require public school units to implement green cleaning practices to promote healthier school environments, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 742 on April 2 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Healthy and High-Performing Schools.’

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

In essence, the bill, titled the North Carolina Healthy Schools Act of 2025, mandates that public school units, including public secondary, charter, regional, and nonpublic schools with 50 or more students, adopt green cleaning policies using environmentally sensitive products when economically feasible. The Department of Public Instruction, alongside the Department of Health and Human Services and relevant stakeholders, will develop and annually update guidelines for these products. Should implementing such policies result in increased cleaning costs, schools must notify the Department of Public Instruction annually. Existing cleaning supplies may be used up before new requirements are applied in the next procurement cycle. The initial guidelines are to be established within 180 days of the bill’s enactment, and implementation starts with the 2025-26 school year. No state funds will be allocated for this initiative.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Pricey Harrison proposed the most bills (40) 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.

Butler graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1983 with a BA and again in 1986 from Wake Forest University School of Law with a JD.

Butler, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2017 to represent the state’s 18th House district, replacing previous state representative Susi Hamilton.