HB 562 North Carolina House · 2025-2026 Session

Budget Technical Corrections Modifications.

HB 562, the Healthcare Investment Act, updates qualification standards for mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse professionals in North Carolina. It allows individuals with an associate degree in human services to qualify as Associate Professionals (with less than two years of experience) or Qualified Professionals (with two years of supervised experience). The bill also creates a new pathway for Qualified Substance Abuse Prevention Professionals (QSAPPs) to qualify with an associate degree and two years of supervised experience in addiction prevention - before completing a bachelor's degree. These changes will expand the pool of eligible professionals for state-funded services under the Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Aug 2026

Senate Passage

Jul 2026

Signed into Law

Aug 2026

Introduced Mar 27, 2025 Signed Aug 11, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Ratified → SL 2026-58 · 3 edits

MINOR

No substantive policy changes were made. This diff reflects the standard administrative transition of HB 562 from its ratified bill form to its final Session Law (SL 2026-58) form after Governor Josh Stein approved it on August 11, 2026 at 8:02 a.m.

TECHNICAL

Header changed from 'Ratified Bill' to 'Session Law 2026-58' to reflect the bill's enactment status.

Governor's signature block was filled in with the actual approval time (8:02 a.m.) and date (August 11, 2026), replacing the previously blank signature line.

Page headers and footers were reformatted to include the Session Law number alongside the bill number.

Edition 2 → Ratified · 15 edits

MAJOR

The entire content of HB 562 was replaced between Edition 2 and Ratified. The original bill (titled 'Healthcare Investment Act') addressed Medicaid rebase funding, LME/MCO intergovernmental transfers, opioid settlement fund usage, DHHS position eliminations, and capital project funding. The ratified version is a completely different miscellaneous appropriations and adjustments act that redirects several directed grants, adds an 'America's Semiquincentennial' license plate option, makes minor insurance regulatory timing changes, and appropriates small amounts for the State Fire Marshal and Department of Labor.

Scope change

The bill's scope was completely transformed. Edition 2 was a healthcare-focused appropriations act addressing Medicaid funding, managed care operations, opioid settlement fund usage, and capital projects for the 2025-2027 biennium. The ratified version is a miscellaneous adjustments act to the 2026 Current Operations Appropriations Act, dealing with small directed grant redirects, a new license plate design, minor insurance regulatory timing fixes, and two small personnel appropriations effective July 1, 2026.

SCOPE

All Medicaid rebase provisions removed, including the increase from $600M to $690M in recurring funding for DHHS Division of Health Benefits

FISCAL

LME/MCO intergovernmental transfer requirement of $18,028,217 per year (allocated among Alliance Behavioral Healthcare, Partners Health Management, Trillium Health Resources, and Vaya Health) removed entirely

Single-stream funding reduction increased from $18.5M to $30M in Edition 2; this entire provision is gone in the ratified version

Opioid settlement fund provisions removed, including the $14M recurring transfer from Opioid Abatement Reserve to DMH/DD/SUS and repeal of the Prescription Digital Therapeutics Pilot Program

Future Building Reserves reduction of $42,206,909 per year removed

$208.5M capital project appropriation for UNC/BOG23-1 ($105M) and UNC/BOG23-3 ($103.5M) from the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund removed

$1,500,000 in nonrecurring funds redirected from The Community Foundation of NC East to HBOT 4 Heroes for hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment for veterans with traumatic brain injury or PTSD (2026-2027 fiscal year)

Funds previously directed to Carolina Lakes Property Owners Association redirected to Harnett County for any public purpose

Anson County water and wastewater infrastructure funds redirected to Anson Economic Development Corporation specifically for sewer system expansion

$225,000 appropriated to Office of the State Fire Marshal for positions to facilitate administrative functions

$300,000 appropriated to Department of Labor for positions to facilitate building code directives in S.L. 2026-41

REQUIREMENT

DHHS mandatory vacant position elimination requirement of $33,986,530 per year removed, along with the division-by-division breakdown and reporting requirements

DEFINITION

New 'America's Semiquincentennial' license plate option added to G.S. 20-63, featuring 'America 250' at top with a background depicting mountains to coast, cardinal, dogwood flowers, Blue Ridge Mountains, NC State Capitol, Wright Brothers' plane, and Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

TECHNICAL

Section 44.5(i) of S.L. 2026-41 rewritten to clarify that Insurance Regulatory Charges collected after January 1, 2027 for taxable years beginning before that date go to the Insurance Regulatory Fund rather than the State Building Code Regulatory Fund

TIMELINE

Effective date changed from retroactive to July 1, 2025 (Edition 2) to July 1, 2026 (Ratified), with Section 5 on license plates effective retroactively to July 7, 2026

Floor votes · Senate Jul 29, 2026 · House Aug 4, 2026

How they voted

33–3

Passed · 14 other

Total votes 50

Jul 29, 2026

D Democratic19

7 Yea 3 Nay 9

36% Yea

R Republican31

26 Yea 5

83% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 11, 2026

Signed into law

Signed by Gov. 8/11/2026

executive

Aug 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conf Report Adopted

lower

Jul 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Conf Report Adopted

upper

Apr 21, 2026

Committee

Serial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Stricken

lower

Sep 22, 2025

Committee

Re-ref to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Sep 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed 3rd Reading

upper

Sep 22, 2025

Introduced

Amend Tabled A1

upper

Sep 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Com Substitute Adopted

upper

Sep 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Substitute

upper

Sep 22, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Appropriations/Base Budget

upper

May 19, 2025

Committee

Re-ref to Health Care. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

May 7, 2025

Committee

Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

May 6, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed 3rd Reading

lower

May 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav

lower

Mar 31, 2025

Committee

Ref to the Com on Health, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Introduced

Filed

lower

3 primary · 12 co-sponsors