HB 1078 is an omnibus appropriations bill that provides funding to the Department of Commerce and the Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina. The legislation allocates $10 million to the One North Carolina Small Business Account and $2 million to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to support life science companies, university research, workforce development, and economic programs. Additionally, the bill transfers the Advisory Council on Rare Diseases from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Health and Human Services and establishes a new Life Science and Biomanufacturing Technologies Reserve Fund. The bill also details the composition, membership, and administrative structure of the rare diseases council, which includes physicians, researchers, patient representatives, and industry experts.
This North Carolina bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study health challenges faced by women serving in the military. The study will examine how to improve maternity care coordination, access to community resources, and mental health support for pregnant and postpartum veterans, while also looking at ways to reduce maternal mortality and address racial disparities. To complete this research, the state has allocated $100,000 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, and the final report with recommendations is due by April 1, 2027.
HB 1115 updates North Carolina laws regarding advance health care planning documents, such as health care powers of attorney and living wills, to align with recent recommendations from the General Statutes Commission. The bill primarily affects individuals creating these documents by simplifying the requirements for signing them and allowing multiple types of advance directives to be combined into a single document. Key provisions include clarifying how different documents interact, defining terms like 'life-prolonging measures' and 'mental health treatment,' and ensuring that the laws remain consistent with other state statutes.
SB 907, known as the Ciji Graham Act, establishes a new High-Risk Pregnancy Care Navigation Program in North Carolina to assist patients with high-risk pregnancies by providing licensed nurse consultants who help coordinate care and address barriers like transportation and insurance. The bill also creates a statewide pregnancy consultation hotline for healthcare providers and community organizations to offer immediate clinical guidance and referrals, alongside a centralized digital hub containing clinical guidelines and a directory of specialists and facilities. Funded through the state General Fund, these measures aim to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities by ensuring timely access to appropriate medical resources and services.
This bill modifies North Carolina's sales tax laws to exempt feminine hygiene products, diapers, and groceries from state and local sales taxes. It specifically adds items like tampons, menstrual cups, and sanitary napkins to the list of tax-free feminine hygiene goods and clarifies that certain grooming products such as soap and shampoo remain taxable. Additionally, the legislation ensures that children's and adult diapers purchased with a prescription from a Medicaid provider are not subject to sales tax. The bill also includes a provision to distribute $1.6 million in state funds to regional councils of government to inform the public about these new tax exemptions.
This bill creates the Midwifery Education Grant Program to increase the number of midwives in North Carolina by funding training programs at specific University of North Carolina institutions. It provides up to $20 million in state funds to support eligible universities that offer advanced nursing degrees but currently lack certified nurse-midwife training programs. To receive grants, institutions must partner with a hospital, submit a budget, and commit to graduating at least 20 midwives within five years, with priority given to historically black colleges and universities. The legislation appropriates $4 million per institution and requires the university system to report on grant usage and program timelines to state oversight committees.
This bill, known as Tyler's Law, requires North Carolina to conduct a full investigation before officially ruling any death as a suicide. Under the new rules, medical examiners must interview people connected to the scene and test for gunshot residue if a firearm was involved, ensuring these steps are documented before a final determination is made. To support this expanded work, the legislation increases the fee paid to county medical examiners from $200 to $400 per case and provides state funding to cover the cost increase starting in 2026. The law applies to all deaths occurring on or after it becomes effective, aiming to ensure thorough reviews of apparent suicides.
This bill modifies tax exemptions for nonprofit hospitals in North Carolina by linking property tax relief directly to the cost of charity care provided to low-income patients. Under the new rules, a hospital's property tax exemption is calculated based on the actual cost of services given to uninsured or underinsured individuals with family incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, the legislation expands sales tax refunds for nonprofit hospitals, allowing them to recover taxes on over-the-counter drugs and capping the total refund at the lesser of a fixed dollar amount or the hospital's verified charity care costs. These changes are designed to ensure that tax benefits are tied to specific charitable activities rather than general operations. The provisions will take effect for tax years beginning on or after July 1, 2027.
This bill establishes a grant program in North Carolina to support community organizations focused on improving maternal health outcomes for Black women. The program provides funding ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to eligible entities that offer evidence-based services, such as mental health support, doula care, and assistance with social needs like housing and transportation. Priority is given to organizations led by Black women and those serving communities with high rates of adverse maternal health outcomes. Recipients must also provide culturally respectful training for health workers and submit reports on how the funds are used to prevent maternal mortality and severe complications.
This bill aims to improve access to dental care in North Carolina by increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to dentists. Starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the state will allocate $80 million from the General Fund to raise these payment rates, which have not significantly changed since 2008. The legislation seeks to encourage more private dental providers to join the Medicaid program, thereby expanding the network of available dentists for patients. By making it more financially viable for dentists to accept Medicaid, the bill intends to help reduce the number of people relying on emergency departments for urgent dental needs.
