GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 663 Short Title: Living Donor Protection Act. (Public) Sponsors: Representatives Shepard, Wheatley, G. Pierce, and Campbell (Primary Sponsors). For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site. Referred to: Health, if favorable, Finance, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House April 3, 2025 *H663 -v-1* A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 AN ACT TO PROTECT LI VING DONORS FROM POT ENTIAL INSURANCE 2 DISCRIMINATION, TO PROVIDE AN INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR UNREIMBURSED 3 MEDICAL EXPENSES RES ULTING 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 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 Page 2 House Bill 663-First Edition (2) Live organ donation. – A donation by a living individual of one or more of the 1 individual's human organs to another human to be transplanted using a 2 medical procedure to the body of another individual. 3 (3) Live organ donation expenses. – The total amount of the expenses listed in 4 this subdivision that are incurred by the taxpayer, that are directly related to a 5 live organ donation, and that are not reimbursed to the taxpayer by any person. 6 An expense is "directly related" if it is incurred due to a live organ donation 7 procedure or due to evaluation, recovery, follow-up visits, or rehospitalization 8 associated with a live organ donation procedure. The expenses are: 9 a. Lost wages. 10 b. Transportation, lodging, and meals. 11 (4) Lost wages. – All monetary payments from employment or services that are 12 taxable as income under the Code and that are not reimbursed through another 13 source, such as sick pay or short-term disability benefits. The term does not 14 include capital gains, IRA distributions, pensions, annuities, unemployment 15 compensation, State workers' compensation benefits, medical retirement 16 benefits, or social security benefits. 17 (b) Credit. – A taxpayer who makes a live organ donation or who is allowed to claim as 18 a dependent a person who makes a live organ donation is allowed a credit against the tax imposed 19 by this Part equal to the lesser of the live organ donation expenses or five thousand dollars 20 ($5,000). For the purposes of this section, "dependent" means a qualifying child or qualifying 21 relative as defined in section 152 of the Code. 22 (c) Limitation. – The credit allowed under this section may not exceed the amount of tax 23 imposed by this Part for the taxable year reduced by the sum of all other credits allowable, except 24 tax payment made by or on behalf of the taxpayer. 25 (d) Carryforward. – Any unused portion of a credit allowed in this section may be carried 26 forward for the succeeding five years." 27 SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 105-153.5(a) reads as rewritten: 28 "(a) Deduction Amount. – In calculating North Carolina taxable income, a taxpayer may 29 deduct from adjusted gross income either the standard deduction amount provided in subdivision 30 (1) of this subsection or the itemized deduction amount provided in subdivision (2) of this 31 subsection. The deduction amounts are as follows: 32 … 33 (2) Itemized deduction amount. – An amount equal to the sum of the items listed 34 in this subdivision. The amounts allowed under this subdivision are not 35 subject to the overall limitation on itemized deductions under section 68 of 36 the Code: 37 … 38 c. Medical and Dental Expense. – The amount allowed as a deduction for 39 medical and dental expenses under section 213 of the Code for that 40 taxable year. No deduction is allowed for live organ donation expenses 41 for which a credit was taken under G.S. 105-153.12. 42 …." 43 SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 105-160.3(b) reads as rewritten: 44 "(b) The tax credits allowed under G.S. 105-153.9 or G.S. 105-153.12 may not be claimed 45 by an estate or trust." 46 SECTION 2.(d) This section is effective for taxable years beginning on or after 47 January 1, 2025. 48 49 PART III. PAID LEAVE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 House Bill 663-First Edition Page 3 SECTION 3.(a) Article 2 of Chapter 126 of the General Statutes is amended by 1 adding a new section to read: 2 "§ 126-8.7. Paid leave for State employees and State-supported personnel for organ 3 donation. 4 (a) Full-Time Employees. – The State Human Resources Commission shall adopt rules 5 and policies to provide that a permanent, full-time State employee may take, in addition to any 6 other leave available to the employee, up to (i) 30 days of paid leave for the purposes of serving 7 as a living organ donor and (ii) seven days for serving as a bone marrow donor. The employee 8 must have been continuously employed by the State for at least 12 months immediately preceding 9 the first request for paid organ or bone marrow donation leave. 10 (b) Part-Time Employees. – The State Human Resources Commission shall adopt rules 11 and policies to provide that a permanent, part-time State employee may take, in addition to any 12 other leave available to the employee, a prorated amount of up to (i) 30 days of paid leave for the 13 purposes of serving as a living organ donor and (ii) seven days for serving as a bone marrow 14 donor. The employee must have been continuously employed by the State for at least 12 months 15 immediately preceding the first request for paid organ or bone marrow donation leave. 16 (c) Program Requirements. – The paid leave for organ or bone marrow donation 17 authorized by this section: 18 (1) Is available without exhaustion of the employee's sick and vacation leave. 19 (2) Is in addition to, and not in lieu of, shared leave under G.S. 126-8.3, or other 20 leave authorized by federal or State law. 21 (3) May not be used for retirement purposes. 22 (4) Has no cash value upon termination from employment. 23 (d) Applicability. – This section applies to all (i) State employees and (ii) State-supported 24 personnel, with the appropriate governing board adopting rules and policies to provide paid leave 25 for organ donation to its employees as provided by this section. 26 (e) Reporting. – By April 1, 2026, and then annually thereafter, the State Human 27 Resources Commission, the State Board of Education, the State Board of Community Colleges, 28 and all State agencies, departments, and institutions shall annually report to the Office of State 29 Human Resources on the paid organ donation leave program." 30 SECTION 3.(b) G.S. 126-5 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 31 "(c22) The provisions of G.S. 126-8.7 shall apply to all State employees, public school 32 employees, and community college employees." 33 34 PART IV. EFFECTIVE DATE 35 SECTION 4. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 36 law. 37