Sen. Lee files bill in North Carolina Senate to support retired educators

A new bill filed by Sen. Lee seeks to revive and expand a program that enables retired educators to work in high-need schools while preserving their retirement benefits, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 441 on March 24 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Revive High-Need Retired Teachers Program.’

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

In essence, this bill revives and expands a program allowing retired educators to return to work in high-need schools without affecting their retirement benefits. It reenacts a previous statute and ensures that post-retirement earnings for these teachers do not count towards their retirement cap, allowing them to remain beneficiaries. The Department of Public Instruction is responsible for certifying their employment status, while local education boards need to report annually if they will not employ high-need retired teachers. The bill also allows such retirees to be covered by employer-paid premiums if they do not qualify for previous coverage. It includes clauses for compliance with the Internal Revenue Code, with automatic repeal if any provisions threaten the retirement system’s status. This legislation takes effect upon becoming law and expires on June 30, 2027.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Lee and Kevin Corbin proposed the most bills (18) 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.

Lee graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991 with a BA and again in 1997 from Wake Forest University Law School with a JD.

Lee, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 7th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Jim Perry.