Sen. Sawyer files bill in North Carolina Senate to revise foster care motor vehicle insurance rules

A new bill filed by State Sen. Vickie Sawyer in the North Carolina Senate aims to update insurance requirements and provide support for those involved in foster care, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 905 on April 29 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Foster Care Motor Vehicle Insurance.’

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

In essence, this bill revises motor vehicle insurance rules for foster care by directing the North Carolina Rate Bureau to update named driver exclusion endorsements to cover people receiving foster care and allow foster parents to end that coverage when they no longer provide care. It requires development of a new optional nonowner liability policy for foster youth and creates a foster care automobile insurance financial assistance program to help pay added premiums, nonowner policies and up to $1,000 in deductibles, contingent on completion of approved driver education. It appropriates $1 million in nonrecurring funds for 2026-27. Sections take effect between July 1, 2026, and Jan. 1, 2027.

Of the two sponsors of this bill, Sawyer proposed the most bills (30) 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.

Sawyer graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1997.

Sawyer, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 37th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Jeff Jackson.