GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H D HOUSE BILL DRH10172-MRf-106 Short Title: Living Donor Protection Act. (Public) Sponsors: Representative Shepard. Referred to: *DRH10172 -MRf-106* A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 AN ACT TO PROTECT LIVING DONORS FROM POTENTIAL INSURANCE 2 DISCRIMINATION, TO PROVIDE AN INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR UNREIMBURSED 3 MEDICAL EXPENSES RESULTING FROM CERTAIN ORGAN AND MARROW 4 DONATIONS, AND TO PROVIDE UP TO THIRTY DAYS' PAID LEAVE TO STATE 5 EMPLOYEES AND OTHER STATE -SUPPORTED PERSONNEL WHO SERVE AS 6 LIVING ORGAN DONORS AND UP TO SEVEN DAYS ' PAID LEAVE FOR BONE 7 MARROW DONORS. 8 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 9 10 PART I. INSURANCE PROTECTIONS 11 SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 58-3-25 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 12 "(d) No insurer shall refuse to insure or to continue to insure an individual; limit the 13 amount, extent, or kind of coverage available to an individual; charge an individual a different 14 amount for the same coverage; or otherwise discriminate against an individual in the offering, 15 issuance, cancellation, price, or conditions of a policy, or in the amount of coverage provided 16 under a policy, based solely and without any additional actuarial risks on the status of an 17 individual as a living organ donor. This subsection shall apply to health benefit plans and life, 18 accident and health, disability, disability income, and long-term care insurance policies. For the 19 purposes of this subsection, the phrase "a living organ donor" shall mean a living individual who 20 donates one or more of that individual's human organs, including bone marrow, to be medically 21 transplanted into the body of another individual." 22 SECTION 1.(b) This section is effective 30 days after it becomes law and applies to 23 insurance contracts issued, renewed, or amended on or after that date. 24 25 PART II. TAX CREDIT 26 SECTION 2.(a) Part 2 of Article 4 of Subchapter I of Chapter 105 of the General 27 Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read: 28 "§ 105-153.12. Credit for live organ donation. 29 (a) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 30 (1) Human organ. – Human bone marrow or any organ of a human, including the 31 intestine, kidney, liver, lung, or pancreas. 32 (2) Live organ donation. – A donation by a living individual of one or more of the 33 individual's human organs to another human to be transplanted using a 34 medical procedure to the body of another individual. 35 H.B. 663 Apr 1, 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 Page 2 DRH10172-MRf-106 (3) Live organ donation expenses. – The total amount of the expenses listed in 1 this subdivision that are incurred by the taxpayer, that are directly related to a 2 live organ donation, and that are not reimbursed to the taxpayer by any person. 3 An expense is "directly related" if it is incurred due to a live organ donation 4 procedure or due to evaluation, recovery, follow-up visits, or rehospitalization 5 associated with a live organ donation procedure. The expenses are: 6 a. Lost wages. 7 b. Transportation, lodging, and meals. 8 (4) Lost wages. – All monetary payments from employment or services that are 9 taxable as income under the Code and that are not reimbursed through another 10 source, such as sick pay or short-term disability benefits. The term does not 11 include capital gains, IRA distributions, pensions, annuities, unemployment 12 compensation, State workers' compensation benefits, medical retirement 13 benefits, or social security benefits. 14 (b) Credit. – A taxpayer who makes a live organ donation or who is allowed to claim as 15 a dependent a person who makes a live organ donation is allowed a credit against the tax imposed 16 by this Part equal to the lesser of the live organ donation expenses or five thousand dollars 17 ($5,000). For the purposes of this section, "dependent" means a qualifying child or qualifying 18 relative as defined in section 152 of the Code. 19 (c) Limitation. – The credit allowed under this section may not exceed the amount of tax 20 imposed by this Part for the taxable year reduced by the sum of all other credits allowable, except 21 tax payment made by or on behalf of the taxpayer. 22 (d) Carryforward. – Any unused portion of a credit allowed in this section may be carried 23 forward for the succeeding five years." 24 SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 105-153.5(a) reads as rewritten: 25 "(a) Deduction Amount. – In calculating North Carolina taxable income, a taxpayer may 26 deduct from adjusted gross income either the standard deduction amount provided in subdivision 27 (1) of this subsection or the itemized deduction amount provided in subdivision (2) of this 28 subsection. The deduction amounts are as follows: 29 … 30 (2) Itemized deduction amount. – An amount equal to the sum of the items listed 31 in this subdivision. The amounts allowed under this subdivision are not 32 subject to the overall limitation on itemized deductions under section 68 of 33 the Code: 34 … 35 c. Medical and Dental Expense. – The amount allowed as a deduction for 36 medical and dental expenses under section 213 of the Code for that 37 taxable year. No deduction is allowed for live organ donation expenses 38 for which a credit was taken under G.S. 105-153.12. 39 …." 40 SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 105-160.3(b) reads as rewritten: 41 "(b) The tax credits allowed under G.S. 105-153.9 or G.S. 105-153.12 may not be claimed 42 by an estate or trust." 43 SECTION 2.(d) This section is effective for taxable years beginning on or after 44 January 1, 2025. 45 46 PART III. PAID LEAVE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES 47 SECTION 3.(a) Article 2 of Chapter 126 of the General Statutes is amended by 48 adding a new section to read: 49 "§ 126-8.7. Paid leave for State employees and State-supported personnel for organ 50 donation. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 DRH10172-MRf-106 Page 3 (a) Full-Time Employees. – The State Human Resources Commission shall adopt rules 1 and policies to provide that a permanent, full-time State employee may take, in addition to any 2 other leave available to the employee, up to (i) 30 days of paid leave for the purposes of serving 3 as a living organ donor and (ii) seven days for serving as a bone marrow donor. The employee 4 must have been continuously employed by the State for at least 12 months immediately preceding 5 the first request for paid organ or bone marrow donation leave. 6 (b) Part-Time Employees. – The State Human Resources Commission shall adopt rules 7 and policies to provide that a permanent, part-time State employee may take, in addition to any 8 other leave available to the employee, a prorated amount of up to (i) 30 days of paid leave for the 9 purposes of serving as a living organ donor and (ii) seven days for serving as a bone marrow 10 donor. The employee must have been continuously employed by the State for at least 12 months 11 immediately preceding the first request for paid organ or bone marrow donation leave. 12 (c) Program Requirements. – The paid leave for organ or bone marrow donation 13 authorized by this section: 14 (1) Is available without exhaustion of the employee's sick and vacation leave. 15 (2) Is in addition to, and not in lieu of, shared leave under G.S. 126-8.3, or other 16 leave authorized by federal or State law. 17 (3) May not be used for retirement purposes. 18 (4) Has no cash value upon termination from employment. 19 (d) Applicability. – This section applies to all (i) State employees and (ii) State-supported 20 personnel, with the appropriate governing board adopting rules and policies to provide paid leave 21 for organ donation to its employees as provided by this section. 22 (e) Reporting. – By April 1, 2026, and then annually thereafter, the State Human 23 Resources Commission, the State Board of Education, the State Board of Community Colleges, 24 and all State agencies, departments, and institutions shall annually report to the Office of State 25 Human Resources on the paid organ donation leave program." 26 SECTION 3.(b) G.S. 126-5 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 27 "(c22) The provisions of G.S. 126-8.7 shall apply to all State employees, public school 28 employees, and community college employees." 29 30 PART IV. EFFECTIVE DATE 31 SECTION 4. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 32 law. 33