Healthcare

in committee · North Carolina · Senate Feb 26, 2025

SB 160: Respiratory Care Modernization Act.

SB 160, the Respiratory Care Modernization Act, updates North Carolina's laws governing respiratory care professionals to reflect current practices, especially after increased pandemic demands. It creates a new "Advanced respiratory care practitioner" (ARCP) role for licensed professionals with specialized training, allowing them to perform advanced procedures under physician supervision - while explicitly excluding medical diagnosis, prescribing, or invasive surgeries. The bill clarifies the scope of practice for both standard respiratory care practitioners and ARCPs, defining permitted tasks like mechanical ventilation support and diagnostic testing, and establishing requirements for board-approved training. This directly affects respiratory therapists seeking advanced roles, their supervising physicians, and healthcare facilities providing respiratory care services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates new ARCP role to expand respiratory care services under supervision, modernizing practice standards post-pandemic to improve access and reflect current healthcare needs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medical Licensing

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passed · North Carolina · House May 7, 2025

HB 519: Parents' Medical Bill of Rights.

This bill, HB 519, revises laws regarding when minors can consent to medical treatment and parental access to their children's medical records. It restricts the medical services a minor can consent to on their own to primarily pregnancy-related care, removing their ability to consent for venereal diseases, substance abuse, or emotional disturbance treatment. The bill also requires written parental consent for minors to receive vaccines authorized for emergency use but not yet fully FDA approved. Additionally, it grants parents the right to access all their minor child's medical records, including those for care the minor could consent to, with exceptions for suspected abuse or neglect, court orders, or active law enforcement investigations.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRestricts minors' access to STD, substance abuse, and mental health care without parental consent, limiting patient autonomy in healthcare services.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Substance Abuse

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in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 842: Vision, Hearing, Dental Screenings Opt-Out.

HB 842 clarifies that North Carolina public schools may conduct vision, hearing, dental, and developmental screenings for students without requiring parental consent, but must notify parents at the start of each school year about all screenings offered and provide results for their child. This bill directly affects parents of students in public schools across North Carolina, particularly for kindergarten through third grade as noted in the bill text. Key provisions require schools to provide written notice of screenings and results to parents (instead of seeking consent for each screening), while maintaining existing requirements for other health services that do require consent. The law updates school health screening procedures under North Carolina General Statutes § 115C-76.46.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRemoves parental consent requirement for school health screenings, facilitating public health services without restricting access to vision/hearing/dental screenings.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health

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in committee · North Carolina · Senate Mar 19, 2025

SB 326: Economic Security Act.

SB 326, the Economic Security Act, raises North Carolina's minimum wage to $22 per hour starting January 1, 2026, with annual inflation adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index. It requires employers to provide paid sick leave, paid family medical leave, and workplace safety protections, while mandating equal pay for equal work regardless of gender. The bill also increases the tipped minimum wage, ends wage theft, prohibits employers from asking about criminal history on job applications ("ban the box"), and expands unemployment benefits for workers. These provisions directly affect all private and public employers and employees across North Carolina, including gig economy workers and essential workers.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProhibits criminal history inquiries in hiring, reducing barriers for justice-involved individuals and aligning with reform goals to lower recidivism.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates paid sick leave and family medical leave, improving healthcare access, and includes workplace safety protections supporting public health80% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill raises minimum wage to $22/hr, mandates paid leave, workplace safety, equal pay, and ends wage theft, directly advancing workers' rights and employment standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage Paid Leave

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in committee · North Carolina · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 617: Accessing Certified Professional Midwives Act.

SB 617, the Accessing Certified Professional Midwives Act, establishes a licensing requirement for Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in North Carolina who must hold national certification from the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). The bill creates the North Carolina Council of Certified Professional Midwives, composed of seven members (four CPMs, one physician, and two community consumers), to administer licensing, set practice rules, and review standards. It directly affects CPMs seeking to legally practice midwifery, requiring them to obtain a state license while exempting existing nurse midwives, physicians, and emergency childbirth assistance. The law defines key terms like antepartal, intrapartal, and postpartal care to clarify scope of practice under the new licensing framework.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes licensing for CPMs to standardize midwifery care, directly improving access to maternal health services under healthcare policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medical Licensing

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signed · North Carolina · Senate Jun 26, 2025

SB 344: Pooled Trust Transfers/Public Benefits Elig.

SB 344 ensures that North Carolina seniors aged 65+ who transfer funds into qualifying pooled special needs trusts (meeting federal standards) won't lose Medicaid or State-County Special Assistance eligibility. The bill requires the state health department to update eligibility rules so these transfers are treated as "fair market value" transactions - meaning the funds aren't counted against benefit eligibility if the trust uses the money to provide goods/services equal to the transfer value within the senior's life expectancy. It directly affects seniors using these trusts to manage assets while maintaining public benefits. The law amends state rules to align with federal guidelines (42 U.S.C. § 1396p(d)(4)(C)) and takes effect upon enactment.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcarePrevents loss of Medicaid eligibility for seniors using qualifying trusts, protecting access to healthcare benefits without restricting coverage.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid

in committee · North Carolina · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 571: MOMnibus 3.0.

SB 571 (MOMnibus 3.0) establishes a North Carolina grant program to address racial disparities in maternal health outcomes, specifically targeting Black women. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants (between $10,000 and $50,000) to community-based organizations serving Black women in areas with high maternal health disparities. Grants prioritize organizations led by Black women that provide evidence-based services, including culturally respectful care, mental health support, assistance with social determinants like housing and transportation, and doula support. The program mandates technical assistance for grantees and annual reports to the legislature on funding and outcomes. This bill directly affects Black women in North Carolina and community health organizations providing maternal care services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes DHHS grants to fund community organizations addressing maternal health disparities for Black women, directly supporting public health initiatives and health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Women's Health

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in committee · North Carolina · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 483: The Children First Act.

SB 483, "The Children First Act," expands affordable child care access for North Carolina families by increasing financial assistance eligibility to 85% of the state median income and raising subsidy rates to match 2023 market costs. It allocates $50 million annually for subsidies and $15 million for grants to establish new child care facilities in rural or underserved areas, targeting "child care deserts." The bill also creates an employer child care credit and includes workforce licensing reforms to address staffing shortages. These provisions directly affect low-to-moderate-income families, child care providers, and employers seeking to support working parents.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates $50M annual subsidies and $15M for child care facilities targeting 'child care deserts,' directly supporting public health outcomes like infant mortality and aligning with MEDICAID/MENTAL HEALTH subjects.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill expands affordable child care access via subsidies, employer credits, and facility grants, directly reducing employment barriers for parents and supporting workforce participation.85% confidence

Tags Children

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died · North Carolina · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SB 181: Increase Funding for Mobile Crisis Units.

SB 181 allocates $2 million annually from the General Fund for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. This funding will support adding five new mobile crisis teams focused on serving communities with the highest need for mental health, developmental disability, and substance use crisis services. The bill directs these teams to operate within the state’s existing mental health framework, with implementation beginning July 1, 2025. It directly affects residents in underserved areas by expanding access to immediate crisis response through these specialized mobile units.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $2M from General Fund for mental health crisis teams, increasing public service funding within budget appropriations.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllocates $2M annually for new mental health crisis teams, expanding access to services in underserved communities within healthcare framework.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Mental Health

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in committee · North Carolina · House Apr 1, 2025

HB 571: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment for Police Officers/Funds.

HB 571 appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund to the Department of Public Safety for a grant program treating police officers diagnosed with PTSD. It directly affects North Carolina police officers who have received a clinical PTSD diagnosis. The key provision establishes a state-funded grant program to cover treatment costs, with funds allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The program becomes effective July 1, 2025, and focuses solely on providing financial support for treatment, not on expanding eligibility or altering diagnosis standards.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $500,000 from General Fund for police PTSD treatment program, directly increasing state budget allocation for mental health services.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill funds PTSD treatment for police officers, directly supporting law enforcement personnel welfare and operational effectiveness within criminal justice system.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates $500k for state-funded PTSD treatment grants for police officers, directly funding mental health services under healthcare policy.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentFunds PTSD treatment for police officers, directly improving workplace safety and mental health support for law enforcement workers, aligning with labor/employment protections.92% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Policing

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