republic-os/legislation/us/states/nc/2023/hb-142.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Protect Our Students Act."
description: "Protect Our Students Act."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nc"
legislature: "North Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 142"
citation: "North Carolina HB 142 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["ADMINISTRATIVE CODE", "ADMINISTRATIVE RULES", "ASHEVILLE", "BOARDS", "BUNCOMBE COUNTY", "CHAPTERED", "CHILD ABUSE", "COUNTIES", "CRIMES", "EDUCATION", "EDUCATION", "EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION", "EDUCATION BOARDS", "ELECTIONS", "ELEMENTARY EDUCATION", "GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES", "HEALTH EDUCATION", "KINDERGARTEN", "LGERS", "LOCAL GOVERNMENT", "LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES", "MINORS", "MUNICIPALITIES", "NOTIFICATION", "PRESENTED", "PUBLIC", "PUBLIC HEALTH", "PUBLIC INSTRUCTION DEPT.", "RATIFIED", "REDISTRICTING", "RETIREMENT", "SAFETY", "SAFETY EDUCATION", "SALARIES & BENEFITS", "SECONDARY EDUCATION", "SEX OFFENSES", "STATE BOARD OF", "STATE EMPLOYEES", "STUDENTS", "TEACHERS", "TSERS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Johnson", "K. Baker", "Torbett"]
version_count: 8
action_count: 48
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2023-02-16"
last_action: "2023-10-02"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9ac0f9d9-191e-4c89-8fa8-d1131e16a5cf"
source_url: "https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/H142"
source_hash: "56ee383d59c0496f3703520e39762b4e4c54b7a14e7745b617e90365019da60a"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nc"]
---

# North Carolina HB 142 (2023) — Protect Our Students Act.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Filed** (filed) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v0.pdf)
2. **A1: ATE-7-V-4** (committee substitute) — [source](https://webservices.ncleg.gov/ViewBillDocument/2023/7285/0/H142-ATE-7-V-4)
3. **Edition 1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v1.pdf)
4. **Edition 2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v2.pdf)
5. **Edition 3** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v3.pdf)
6. **Edition 4** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v4.pdf)
7. **Ratified** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v5.pdf)
8. **SL 2023-128** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H142v6.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Johnson — primary (person)
- K. Baker — primary (person)
- Torbett — primary (person)
- Balkcom — cosponsor (person)
- Biggs — cosponsor (person)
- Blackwell — cosponsor (person)
- Cairns — cosponsor (person)
- Clampitt — cosponsor (person)
- Faircloth — cosponsor (person)
- Fontenot — cosponsor (person)
- Kidwell — cosponsor (person)
- Loftis — cosponsor (person)
- Moss — cosponsor (person)
- N. Jackson — cosponsor (person)
- Penny — cosponsor (person)
- Riddell — cosponsor (person)
- Ward — cosponsor (person)
- Warren — cosponsor (person)
- Wheatley — cosponsor (person)
- Willis — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-10-02** Ch. SL 2023-128 `became-law`
- **2023-09-29** Signed by Gov. 9/29/2023 `executive-signature`
- **2023-09-22** Pres. To Gov. 9/22/2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-09-22** Ratified
- **2023-09-21** Ordered Enrolled
- **2023-09-21** Concurred In S Amend SA1 `amendment-passage`
- **2023-09-21** Added to Calendar
- **2023-09-21** Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
- **2023-09-21** Special Message Received For Concurrence in S Amend
- **2023-09-21** Special Message Sent To House
- **2023-09-21** Passed 3rd Reading `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-09-21** Passed 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-09-21** Amend Adopted A1 `amendment-passage`
- **2023-09-20** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-06-21** Re-ref Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-21** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-06-14** Re-ref Com On Pensions and Retirement and Aging `referral-committee`
- **2023-06-14** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-06-13** Sequential Referral To Pensions and Retirement and Aging Added After Education/Higher Education
- **2023-05-31** Re-ref Com On Education/Higher Education `referral-committee`
- **2023-05-31** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-18** Re-ref to Judiciary. If fav, re-ref to Education/Higher Education. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate `referral-committee`
- **2023-05-18** Withdrawn From Com
- **2023-03-30** Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-30** Passed 1st Reading `reading-1`
- **2023-03-30** Regular Message Received From House
- **2023-03-30** Regular Message Sent To Senate
- **2023-03-29** Passed 3rd Reading `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-29** Passed 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-03-28** Placed On Cal For 03/29/2023
- **2023-03-28** Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
- **2023-03-28** Reptd Fav Com Sub 3 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-21** Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-21** Reptd Fav Com Sub 2 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-08** Re-ref Com On Pensions and Retirement `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-08** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-07** Re-ref to the Com on Judiciary 1, if favorable, Pensions and Retirement, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-07** Withdrawn From Com
- **2023-03-07** Serial Referral To Pensions and Retirement Stricken
- **2023-03-07** Serial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Stricken
- **2023-03-01** Serial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Added
- **2023-03-01** Serial Referral To Pensions and Retirement Added
- **2023-03-01** Serial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Stricken
- **2023-02-21** Re-ref Com On Judiciary 2 `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-21** Reptd Fav Com Substitute `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-20** Ref to the Com on Education - K-12, if favorable, Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-20** Passed 1st Reading `reading-1`
- **2023-02-16** Filed `introduction`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9ac0f9d9-191e-4c89-8fa8-d1131e16a5cf`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official North Carolina legislature records).