Rep. Balkcom files bill in North Carolina House to remove insurance training requirements

A new bill filed by State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom in the North Carolina House seeks to remove mandatory training courses for insurance licensure applicants and allow competency demonstration through experience, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 737 on April 2 during the 2025 regular session, 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.

Of the two sponsors of this bill, Balkcom proposed the most bills (32) 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.

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.