A new bill filed by State Rep. Terry M. Brown Jr. seeks to create a statewide alert system for missing persons with disabilities to improve rapid information dissemination and response, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 857 on April 9 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Create Alert/Missing Person w/ Disability.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill establishes the North Carolina Missing with Disability Alert System within the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons. Its purpose is to create a statewide system for the rapid dissemination of information regarding missing persons or children with disabilities who may be at risk of abuse, harm, neglect, or exploitation. The bill mandates that the Center or law enforcement agencies issue alerts quickly upon receiving a report, and both entities are required to develop guidelines and train broadcasters to participate in the alert system. The bill also involves collaborating with the Department of Transportation to use overhead message signs to help locate missing individuals. This act takes effect upon becoming law.
Of the four sponsors of this bill, Carla D. Cunningham proposed the most bills (38) 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.
Brown graduated from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte with a BA and again in 2015 from Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Campbell University with a JD.
Brown, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 92nd House district, replacing previous state representative Chaz Beasley.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Carla D. Cunningham, Vernetta Alston, and Zack Hawkins | HB 857 | 04/09/2025 | Create Alert/Missing Person w/ Disability. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Jeff Zenger, Kyle Hall, and Wyatt Gable | HB 814 | 04/07/2025 | Power Infrastructure Resiliency & Eff.(PIRE). |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., James Roberson, and Renée A. Price | HB 787 | 04/03/2025 | Revise NC 529 Program. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Brandon Lofton, and David Willis | HB 708 | 04/02/2025 | IROBOT – Increasing Robotics Opportunities. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Amber M. Baker, Cecil Brockman, and Frances Jackson, PhD | HB 709 | 04/02/2025 | K-3 Literacy and Improvement Act. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Carla D. Cunningham, Donny Lambeth, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 710 | 04/02/2025 | Mental Health Crisis Unit Pilot for LSAUs. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Eric Ager, Jordan Lopez, and Phil Rubin | HB 711 | 04/02/2025 | Recovery Support Via Revenue Stabilization. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Jordan Lopez, Marcia Morey, and Mary Belk | HB 735 | 04/02/2025 | Modernize STI Transit Funding. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Julia Greenfield, Julie von Haefen, and Sarah Crawford | HB 760 | 04/02/2025 | Bloodborne Pathogen Training for Tattooists. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Allen Buansi, Gloristine Brown, and Tracy Clark | HB 641 | 04/01/2025 | Transportation for the Future Act. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Abe Jones, Allen Buansi, and Charles Smith | HB 646 | 04/01/2025 | Const. Amend.: Remove Slavery as Punishment. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Brian Biggs, David Willis, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 671 | 04/01/2025 | Competitive Speech and Debate Grant Pilot. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr. and Vernetta Alston | HB 673 | 04/01/2025 | Neonatal Transport Assistance. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Pricey Harrison, Sarah Crawford, and Vernetta Alston | HB 684 | 04/01/2025 | Environmental Justice in North Carolina. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr. and Carla D. Cunningham | HB 633 | 03/31/2025 | Expand Sickle Cell Disease Programs & Svcs. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Cody Huneycutt, Donna McDowell White, and Vernetta Alston | HB 634 | 03/31/2025 | Parity Enhancement for Addiction Recovery. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Beth Helfrich, Charles Smith, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 635 | 03/31/2025 | Increase Access to Fertility Treatment. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Amber M. Baker, Dante Pittman, and Julie von Haefen | HB 521 | 03/26/2025 | Healthy Families & Workplaces/Paid Sick Leave. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Charles Smith, David Willis, and Kyle Hall | HB 543 | 03/26/2025 | Criminal Background Check For Athlete Agents. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Becky Carney, Julia C. Howard, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 515 | 03/25/2025 | North Carolina Economic Abuse Prevention Act. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Bryan Cohn, Charles Smith, and Laura Budd | HB 499 | 03/24/2025 | NC Paid Family Leave Insurance Act. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Abe Jones, Julia Greenfield, and Sarah Crawford | HB 467 | 03/20/2025 | Reenact Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Beth Helfrich, Julia Greenfield, and Lindsey Prather | HB 474 | 03/20/2025 | Right to Use Contraception. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Allen Chesser, Neal Jackson, and Tim Longest | HB 462 | 03/19/2025 | Personal Data Privacy/Social Media Safety. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Abe Jones, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 446 | 03/18/2025 | Prohibition on Disclosing Booking Photographs. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., John R. Bell, IV, Robert T. Reives, II, and Stephen M. Ross | HB 283 | 03/04/2025 | Small Business Investment Grant Program. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Brandon Lofton, Mary Belk, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 265 | 03/03/2025 | SchCalFlex/Char-Meck/CC. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr. and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 252 | 02/27/2025 | Steele Creek Investment and Improvement Act. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Jordan Lopez, Vernetta Alston, and Zack Hawkins | HB 256 | 02/27/2025 | Allow Public Employee Collective Bargaining. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Carolyn G. Logan, Donna McDowell White, and Marcia Morey | HB 109 | 02/12/2025 | Strangulation/Increase Punishment. |
| Terry M. Brown Jr., Allen Buansi, Allen Chesser, and Jarrod Lowery | HB 93 | 02/10/2025 | Constitutional Amendment/Repeal Literacy Test. |
