North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H561 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 1
4		-	HOUSE BILL 561
	3	+	H D
	4	+	HOUSE BILL DRH10003-MGa-13
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: 2025 Youth End Nicotine Dependence Act. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors: Representatives Cervania, White, and Lambeth (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10		-	Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11		-	March 31, 2025
12		-	H561 -v-1
	9	+	Sponsors: Representative Cervania.
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRH10003 -MGa-13
13	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
14	14		AN ACT ENACTING THE "YOUTH END NICOTINE DEPENDENCE ACT" TO 2
15	15		ESTABLISH A TOBACCO USE PREVENTION FUND WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT 3
16	16		OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUPPORTED BY ANNUAL 4
17	17		APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE TOBACCO MASTER SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT . 5
18	18		Whereas, in North Carolina, the use of electronic cigarettes among high school 6
19	19		students rose one thousand one hundred twenty-nine percent (1,129%) between 2011 and 2019; 7
20	20		and 8
21	21		Whereas, in North Carolina, twenty-seven and three-tenths percent (27.3%) of youth 9
22	22		in high school and ten and four-tenths percent (10.4%) of youth in middle school used tobacco 10
23	23		products in 2019; and 11
24	24		Whereas, electronic cigarettes are tobacco products under North Carolina law; and 12
25	25		Whereas, youth are becoming addicted to electronic cigarettes at an alarming rate and 13
26	26		are finding it difficult to quit; and 14
27	27		Whereas, the United States Surgeon General has reported that use of products 15
28	28		containing nicotine in any form among young people is unsafe, secondhand electronic cigarette 16
29	29		aerosol that is exhaled into the air by users is not harmless, and states must take action to prevent 17
30	30		harm rather than waiting for harm to occur; and 18
31	31		Whereas, evidence shows that funding to create state and community interventions 19
32	32		that encourage individuals to avoid tobacco use and help perpetuate social norms that discourage 20
33	33		tobacco use are some of the most effective ways to prevent tobacco use and tobacco-related 21
34	34		chronic disease and death among youth; and 22
35	35		Whereas, North Carolina receives approximately one hundred forty million dollars 23
36	36		($140,000,000) every year from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, which was intended 24
37	37		to be used for tobacco use prevention programs; and 25
38	38		Whereas, by spending a fraction of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement funds 26
39	39		on prevention, North Carolina can save on future medical costs caused by tobacco-related 27
40	40		illnesses and prevent thousands of youth from becoming daily tobacco users; and 28
41	41		Whereas, the General Assembly finds that an investment of seventeen million dollars 29
42	42		($17,000,000) per year in tobacco use prevention programs is required to prevent youth electronic 30
43	43		cigarette nicotine dependence in North Carolina; Now, therefore, 31
44	44		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 32
45	45		SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Youth End Nicotine 33
46	46		Dependence Act." 34
47		-	SECTION 2. G.S. 143C-9-3(a1) reads as rewritten: 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 House Bill 561-First Edition
	47	+	SECTION 2. G.S. 143C-9-3(a1) reads as rewritten: 35
	48	+	H.B. 561
	49	+	Mar 27, 2025
	50	+	HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	51	+	Page 2 DRH10003-MGa-13
49	52		"(a1) Each year, the following amounts are appropriated from the Settlement Reserve Fund: 1
50	53		(i) the sum of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) from the Settlement Reserve Fund is 2
51	54		appropriated to The Golden L.E.A.F. (Long-Term Economic Advancement Foundation), Inc., a 3
52	55		nonprofit corporation, and these corporation and (ii) the sum of seventeen million dollars 4
53	56		($17,000,000) to the Tobacco Use Prevention Fund established under G.S. 143C-9-3.1. The 5
54	57		funds shall appropriated to The Golden L.E.A.F., Inc., are not be subject to G.S. 143C-6-23. The 6
55	58		remainder of the funds credited to the Settlement Reserve Fund each fiscal year shall be 7
56	59		transferred to the General Fund and included in General Fund availability as nontax revenue." 8
57	60		SECTION 3. Article 9 of Chapter 143C of the General Statutes is amended by adding 9
58	61		a new section to read: 10
59	62		"§ 143C-9-3.1. Tobacco Use Prevention Fund. 11
60	63		(a) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 12
61	64		(1) Department. – The Department of Health and Human Services. 13
62	65		(2) Fund. – The Tobacco Use Prevention Fund established under subsection (b) 14
63	66		of this section. 15
64	67		(b) Establishment and Purpose. – The Tobacco Use Prevention Fund is established as an 16
65	68		interest-bearing special fund in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public 17
66	69		Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section. The purpose of the Fund is to prevent the use of new 18
67	70		and emerging tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, especially among youth and 19
68	71		people of childbearing age. The Fund shall consist of the amounts appropriated to the Fund from 20
69	72		the Settlement Reserve Fund pursuant to G.S. 143C-9-3(a1). Any balance remaining in the Fund 21
70	73		at the end of any fiscal year is carried forward in the Fund for the next succeeding fiscal year for 22
71	74		the purposes set forth in this section. 23
72	75		(c) Use of Moneys. – The Department is prohibited from expending moneys in the Fund 24
73	76		for any purposes other than the administrative purposes authorized by subsection (d) of this 25
74	77		section and the following: 26
75	78		(1) To fund local health departments through a regional infrastructure to provide 27
76	79		community-based education and training of youth leaders, schools, and local 28
77	80		agencies regarding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 29
78	81		evidence-based tobacco use prevention and cessation interventions, including 30
79	82		interventions addressing e-cigarettes. 31
80	83		(2) To fund evidence-based media and education campaigns on the health risks 32
81	84		of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes. 33
82	85		(3) To increase military readiness of members in active military service in North 34
83	86		Carolina, including members of the North Carolina National Guard and 35
84	87		military reserve components, through tobacco use prevention and cessation 36
85	88		policy, systems, and environmental change. 37
86	89		(4) To provide grants to community colleges to support a healthy, tobacco-free 38
87	90		campus. 39
88	91		(5) To track tobacco use and exposure, including exposure to e-cigarettes and 40
89	92		emerging tobacco products, among young people and populations most at risk 41
90	93		for tobacco use. 42
91	94		(6) To provide technical assistance and oversight of regional tobacco use 43
92	95		prevention programs. 44
93	96		(7) To conduct an independent evaluation of the reach and effectiveness of the 45
94	97		State's tobacco use prevention programs. 46
95	98		(d) Fund Administration. – The Department shall exercise administrative control over the 47
96	99		Fund and may use up to ten percent (10%) of the amount appropriated to the Fund each fiscal 48
97	100		year from the Settlement Reserve Fund for administrative purposes. The Department shall 49
98	101		develop guidelines for administering the Fund that are consistent with this section. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
99		-	~~House Bill 561-First Edition~~ Page 3
	102	+	DRH10003-MGa-13 Page 3
100	103		(e) Annual Report. – Annually on March 1, the Department of Health and Human 1
101	104		Services shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services 2
102	105		and the Fiscal Research Division on the expenditures made from the Fund during the preceding 3
103	106		fiscal year. The report shall identify each expenditure by recipient and purpose and shall indicate 4
104	107		the authority under this section for the expenditure." 5
105	108		SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 6