North Carolina Rep. Balkcom’s insurance licensure training bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill sponsored by State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom aims to remove mandatory training courses for insurance producer licensure, allowing applicants to demonstrate competence through education, training, or experience, according to the North Carolina State House.

In the House, 36 Democrats and 62 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while four Democrats and one Republican opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 17 Democrats and 28 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Balkcom filed the bill in the North Carolina House on April 2 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as HB 737, was passed on June 18 during the 2025 regular session.

According to the North Carolina General Assembly site, the bill’s official text was formally listed with the short title: “Licensing Course Removal/Insurance Producers.”

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

In essence, this bill aims to eliminate the training course requirements for insurance producer licensure in North Carolina. Effective Oct. 1, 2025, it revises existing statutes to remove the mandate for specific educational instruction for applicants seeking licenses as insurance producers, limited representatives, adjusters, or motor vehicle damage appraisers. The bill specifies that an individual applying for an insurance producer license will not need to complete any predefined amount or type of instruction. Instead, applicants must demonstrate sufficient competence through education, training, or experience. It also allows individuals licensed in their home state, applying for the same lines of authority, to bypass prelicensing education and examination when seeking licensure in North Carolina.

A related bill, SB 377, was also filed in the North Carolina Senate, introduced by Sen. Todd Johnson on March 20, 2025.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Chris Humphrey (Republican-12th District) and Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (Republican-117th District).

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.

Balkcom graduated from Blue Ridge Community College in 2016 with an AA.

Balkcom, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 117th House district, replacing previous state representative Timothy Moffitt.

Under North Carolina law, bills must receive three readings in each chamber. According to the UNC School of Government, once a bill “passes its constitutionally required second reading and moves to its constitutionally required third reading,” additional debate can occur, but the final stage is often treated as a formality. Unless a legislator requests a roll-call, the third reading may be approved by voice vote or unanimous consent without a separate recorded tally.