by 
Oh, dear Oh, dear!
SHBB Inc founder CEO Monica Kelsey is in quite an uproar over North Carolina HB 139, a bill to amend the state’s safe haven law to include baby abandonment boxes. Such an uproar that she calls for the bill to be killed. This ax-wielding undoubtedly confuses casual observers of the company’s mission. After all, the bill authorizes the use of its Patent Pending “lifesaving” baby dump box at government-designated locations across the state. (Complete bill page here).
What’s the problem?
The bill requires that boxes be installed at locations staffed on-site” 24/7. Empty volunteer fire stations need not apply.
The Real Problem
Vested interest.
If the law is enacted, it will force Mrs Kelsey by law –so she says–to remove the boxes she already placed in Jefferson and Gatesville under Home Rule, due to the lack of their around-the-clock staff. This would leave the state baby boxless for the time being…and you know what that means… even if those 2 boxes have never been used. Which they haven’t.
Mrs Keelsey argues that North Carolina’s fuddy-duddy lawmakers need to catch up with her dual-alarm technology that precludes the need for fon-site staff at firehouses and other box locations.
Here is the SHBB Inc TikTok that explains it all.
@safehavenbabyboxes We do not support HB139 the baby box bill out of NC. #monicakelsey #safehavenbabyboxes #northcarolina #HB139 ♬ original sound – Monica Kelsey
It’s been quite some time since I’ve heard Mrs Kelsey complain about staffing “restrictions” interfering with her agenda.
In 2022 she convinced the complacent Indiana legislature to lift staff restrictions there to satisfy her ever-growing demands to do legalized baby abandonment her way. Now abandonment boxes can be placed willy-nilly around the state in unstaffed volunteer fire stations, or stations out on a call if they meet certain criteria.
Next came Ohio in 2023 after Chris Hicks, a conservative political watchdog living in Clermont County, earlier pointed out to the Ohio Health Review Board that his local box in Union Township, near Cincinnati, sat empty in an unstaffed fire station. His masterful documented research about staffing and other issues at the station (including noncompliance with daily maintenance requirements and township trustees’ failure to obtain required permits for the box until after it was installed, “blessed,” and open for business).
Union Township Trustees loved the box and Mrs Kelsey so much that to keep it (and stick it to Hicks), hired a new firefighter at union scale, to babysit the station in case a little wanderer popped in–which hasn’t t happened. Hicks posted a video of Mrs Kelsey offering to pay for the box nanny, but she didn’t follow through, and local taxpayers ended up footing the bill. Bonus: Mrs Kelsey threatened Hicks with legal action, to which he responded with a big “sod off.” She then supposedly hired a bodyguard to protect her from him. A mighty LOL!
The original bill in the Ohio House to lift staffing restrictions didn’t move, but later similar language was snuck into the gigantic Operating Appropriations bill, where it passed without hearing or comment.
For a full account of the Ohio debacle go here. There are links included there that further coverage what went down.
There was not a peep out of Mrs Kelsey when after a 5-year battle, Florida enacted its baby box bill a few days ago. The state has 7 baby box sites through Home Rule. I did a quick check to determine if any of them are endangered by that new law which contains the 24/7 mandate. Some are around-the-clock operations, but I have questions about 3. I won’t name them because I don’t know, but I will check with my Florida contacts to figure it out. I will also look into New Mexico’s Home Rule 10 box sites, some of which were funded by grants from the state without a law on the books.
HB131 already passed the North Carolina House and is now in the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. The session closes Thursday(May 8) so it looks like it’s going to die a natural death. May the sine die be with us!
2025 Bills: Staffing Specs as of May 6, 2025
Here’s the status of this year’s baby abandonment box bills and their on-site staffing requirements. For more legislative information go to the SSBBN Legislation 2025 Page
Alaska (pending); Staffing: nothing mentioned
Colorado (dead). Staffing: nothing mentioned, but locations did not include fire stations
Connecticut (effectively dead) Staffing: nothing mentioned but locations did not include fire stations
Florida (enacted) Staffing: 24/7. 7 boxes installed by Home Rule
Georgia (dead); Staffing: 24/7
Illinois (pending, effectively dead). Staffing: Nothing mentioned
Michigan (pending) Staffing: 24/7
Minnesota (pending). Staffing: 24/7 with exceptions for when an entire station is out on a call. Requires that boxes have FDA approval which they do not
New Jersey (pending) Staffing: 24/7
New Mexico (dead) Staffing: 24/7. 10 boxes installed by Home Rule
North Carolina (pending) Staffing: 24/7. 2 boxes installed by Home Rule
North Dakota (enacted) Staffing: Nothing mentioned
Oregon (pending) Staffing: 24/7
South Dakota (enacted) Staffing: 24/7
Written in 2 sessions of the London Writers Salon Writers Hour
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