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North Carolina House Bill H895

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H895 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 895
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH30361-NBf-130
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Emergency Citizen Pilot Training Program. (Public)
8-Sponsors: Representatives Winslow, Balkcom, Bell, and Gillespie (Primary Sponsors).
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Emergency Management and Disaster Recovery, if favorable, Finance, if
11-favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
12-April 14, 2025
13-*H895 -v-1*
9+Sponsors: Representative Winslow.
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH30361 -NBf-130*
1413 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1514 AN ACT TO ESTABLISH AN EMERGENCY CITIZEN PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM . 2
1615 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
1716 SECTION 1. Chapter 166A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 4
1817 Article to read: 5
1918 "Article 7. 6
2019 "North Carolina Emergency Citizen Pilot Training Program. 7
2120 "§ 166A-70. Purpose; establishment. 8
2221 Purpose; Establishment. – There is hereby established the Emergency Citizen Pilot Training 9
2322 Program within the Division of Emergency Management of the Department of Public Safety. 10
2423 The purpose of the Program is to set standards and certification for citizen pilots to assist 11
2524 emergency response and recovery operations after declared disasters. The Director of Emergency 12
2625 Management shall administer the Program within the Division. 13
2726 "§ 166A-71. Definitions. 14
2827 Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this Article: 15
2928 (1) Department. – The Department of Public Safety. 16
3029 (2) Director. – The Director of the Division. 17
3130 (3) Division. – The Division of Emergency Management of the Department of 18
3231 Public Safety. 19
3332 (4) Emergency citizen pilot. – An individual who has been awarded and maintains 20
3433 a certificate from the Program. 21
3534 (5) Program. – The Emergency Citizen Pilot Training Program. 22
3635 (6) State Emergency Response Team. – As defined in G.S. 166A-19.3. 23
3736 "§ 166A-72. Program criteria. 24
3837 (a) Program. – The Program shall offer classes and training courses to train emergency 25
3938 citizen pilots on how to do all of the following: 26
4039 (1) Assist State and federal emergency response and recovery operations after 27
4140 declared disasters within an emergency area. 28
4241 (2) Establish levels of assistance and discretion between State and federal 29
4342 response activities and the role of private assistance by air to emergency areas. 30
4443 (3) The most efficient and safe methods for private assistance by air in emergency 31
4544 areas, including flight paths, restricted airspace, standard operation 32
4645 procedures, permissible aircraft, emergency communication, and coordination 33
47-of efforts. 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48-Page 2 House Bill 895-First Edition
49-(4) Any other metrics or standards the Division deems necessary. 1
50-(b) Fee. – The Division may charge a reasonable fee to participate in the Program. The 2
51-fee shall cover costs and shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) per candidate. 3
52-(c) Candidates. – After graduation from the Program, candidates will receive a 4
53-certification that allows the pilot to sign up for the Emergency Citizen Pilot Registry established 5
54-by this Article. 6
55-(d) Registry. – The Division shall maintain and update an Emergency Citizen Pilot 7
56-Registry that lists all certificated emergency citizen pilots who have an active or inactive 8
57-certificate awarded by the Program. 9
58-(e) Continuing Training. – An emergency citizen pilot shall be deemed "active status" if 10
59-the individual has been awarded a certificate and maintains any required continuing training 11
60-hours necessary as determined by the Division. The Division shall maintain continuing training 12
61-requirements for all emergency citizen pilots who have been issued a certificate under the 13
62-Program, unless the certificate has lapsed and the emergency citizen pilot is in "inactive status." 14
63-The Division shall develop criteria to develop certificate status and continuing training 15
64-requirements. 16
65-"§ 166A-73. Coordination. 17
66-Coordination. – The Division shall work with the State Emergency Response Team, units of 18
67-local governments, the Civil Air Patrol Section of the Department, other State agencies, and the 19
68-Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop standards, criteria, best practices, safety 20
69-standards, and any other criteria necessary in the discretion of the Division to integrate 21
70-emergency citizen pilot training into the North Carolina Emergency Operations Plan and other 22
71-disaster response plans." 23
72-SECTION 2. G.S. 166A-19.76 reads as rewritten: 24
73-"§ 166A-19.76. Leave options for voluntary firefighters, rescue squad workers, emergency 25
74-citizen pilots, and emergency medical service personnel called into service. 26
75-(a) Leave Without Pay. – A member of a volunteer fire department, rescue squad, 27
76-emergency citizen pilot, or emergency medical services agency called into service of the State 28
77-after a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor or by the General Assembly, or upon 29
78-the activation of the State Emergency Response Team in response to an emergency, shall have 30
79-the right to take leave without pay from his or her civilian employment. No member of a volunteer 31
80-fire department, rescue squad, emergency citizen pilot, or emergency medical services agency 32
81-shall be forced to use or exhaust his or her vacation or other accrued leave from his or her civilian 33
82-employment for a period of active service. The choice of leave shall be solely within the 34
83-discretion of the member. 35
84-(b) Request in Writing Required. – For the volunteer member to be entitled to take leave 36
85-without pay pursuant to this section, his or her services shall be requested in writing by the 37
86-Director of the Division or by the head of a local emergency management agency. The request 38
87-shall be directed to the Chief of the member's volunteer fire department, rescue squad, emergency 39
88-citizen pilot, or emergency medical services agency, and a copy shall be provided to the member's 40
89-employer. This section shall not apply to those members whose services have been certified by 41
90-their employer to the Director of the Division, or to the head of a local emergency management 42
91-agency, as essential to the employer's own ongoing emergency relief activities. 43
92-(c) Definition of an Emergency Requiring Activation of the State Emergency Response 44
93-Team. – For purposes of this section, an emergency requiring the activation of the State 45
94-Emergency Response Team means an emergency at Activation Level 2 or greater according to 46
95-the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Plan of November 2002. Activation Level 2 47
96-requires the State Emergency Operations Center to be fully activated with 24-hour staffing from 48
97-all State Emergency Response Team members. 49
98-(d) Enforcement. – The Commissioner of Labor shall enforce the provisions of this 50
99-section pursuant to Chapter 95 of the General Statutes." 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
100-House Bill 895-First Edition Page 3
101-SECTION 3. G.S. 166A-19.60(e) reads as rewritten: 1
102-"(e) Definition of Emergency Management Worker. – As used in this section, the term 2
103-"emergency management worker" shall include any full or part-time paid, volunteer, or auxiliary 3
104-employee of this State or other states, territories, possessions, or the District of Columbia, of the 4
105-federal government or any neighboring country or of any political subdivision thereof, or of any 5
106-agency or organization performing emergency management services services, including 6
107-emergency citizen pilots with active status certification, at any place in this State, subject to the 7
108-order or control of or pursuant to a request of the State government or any political subdivision 8
109-thereof. The term "emergency management worker" under this section shall also include any 9
110-health care worker performing health care services as a member of a hospital-based or 10
111-county-based State Medical Assistance Team designated by the North Carolina Office of 11
112-Emergency Medical Services and any person performing emergency health care services under 12
113-G.S. 90-12.2." 13
114-SECTION 4. The Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency 14
115-Management, shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this act. The Division shall have 15
116-the Emergency Citizen Pilot Training Program operational by January 1, 2027. The Division 16
117-shall report to the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee on the 17
118-implementation of the Program and other provisions of this act on or before October 1, 2026, and 18
119-one year thereafter. 19
120-SECTION 5. Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this act become effective October 1, 2025. The 20
121-remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law. 21
46+of efforts. 34
47+(4) Any other metrics or standards the Division deems necessary. 35
48+H.B. 895
49+Apr 10, 2025
50+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
51+Page 2 DRH30361-NBf-130
52+(b) Fee. – The Division may charge a reasonable fee to participate in the Program. The 1
53+fee shall cover costs and shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) per candidate. 2
54+(c) Candidates. – After graduation from the Program, candidates will receive a 3
55+certification that allows the pilot to sign up for the Emergency Citizen Pilot Registry established 4
56+by this Article. 5
57+(d) Registry. – The Division shall maintain and update an Emergency Citizen Pilot 6
58+Registry that lists all certificated emergency citizen pilots who have an active or inactive 7
59+certificate awarded by the Program. 8
60+(e) Continuing Training. – An emergency citizen pilot shall be deemed "active status" if 9
61+the individual has been awarded a certificate and maintains any required continuing training 10
62+hours necessary as determined by the Division. The Division shall maintain continuing training 11
63+requirements for all emergency citizen pilots who have been issued a certificate under the 12
64+Program, unless the certificate has lapsed and the emergency citizen pilot is in "inactive status." 13
65+The Division shall develop criteria to develop certificate status and continuing training 14
66+requirements. 15
67+"§ 166A-73. Coordination. 16
68+Coordination. – The Division shall work with the State Emergency Response Team, units of 17
69+local governments, the Civil Air Patrol Section of the Department, other State agencies, and the 18
70+Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop standards, criteria, best practices, safety 19
71+standards, and any other criteria necessary in the discretion of the Division to integrate 20
72+emergency citizen pilot training into the North Carolina Emergency Operations Plan and other 21
73+disaster response plans." 22
74+SECTION 2. G.S. 166A-19.76 reads as rewritten: 23
75+"§ 166A-19.76. Leave options for voluntary firefighters, rescue squad workers, emergency 24
76+citizen pilots, and emergency medical service personnel called into service. 25
77+(a) Leave Without Pay. – A member of a volunteer fire department, rescue squad, 26
78+emergency citizen pilot, or emergency medical services agency called into service of the State 27
79+after a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor or by the General Assembly, or upon 28
80+the activation of the State Emergency Response Team in response to an emergency, shall have 29
81+the right to take leave without pay from his or her civilian employment. No member of a volunteer 30
82+fire department, rescue squad, emergency citizen pilot, or emergency medical services agency 31
83+shall be forced to use or exhaust his or her vacation or other accrued leave from his or her civilian 32
84+employment for a period of active service. The choice of leave shall be solely within the 33
85+discretion of the member. 34
86+(b) Request in Writing Required. – For the volunteer member to be entitled to take leave 35
87+without pay pursuant to this section, his or her services shall be requested in writing by the 36
88+Director of the Division or by the head of a local emergency management agency. The request 37
89+shall be directed to the Chief of the member's volunteer fire department, rescue squad, emergency 38
90+citizen pilot, or emergency medical services agency, and a copy shall be provided to the member's 39
91+employer. This section shall not apply to those members whose services have been certified by 40
92+their employer to the Director of the Division, or to the head of a local emergency management 41
93+agency, as essential to the employer's own ongoing emergency relief activities. 42
94+(c) Definition of an Emergency Requiring Activation of the State Emergency Response 43
95+Team. – For purposes of this section, an emergency requiring the activation of the State 44
96+Emergency Response Team means an emergency at Activation Level 2 or greater according to 45
97+the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Plan of November 2002. Activation Level 2 46
98+requires the State Emergency Operations Center to be fully activated with 24-hour staffing from 47
99+all State Emergency Response Team members. 48
100+(d) Enforcement. – The Commissioner of Labor shall enforce the provisions of this 49
101+section pursuant to Chapter 95 of the General Statutes." 50
102+SECTION 3. G.S. 166A-19.60(e) reads as rewritten: 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
103+DRH30361-NBf-130 Page 3
104+"(e) Definition of Emergency Management Worker. – As used in this section, the term 1
105+"emergency management worker" shall include any full or part-time paid, volunteer, or auxiliary 2
106+employee of this State or other states, territories, possessions, or the District of Columbia, of the 3
107+federal government or any neighboring country or of any political subdivision thereof, or of any 4
108+agency or organization performing emergency management services services, including 5
109+emergency citizen pilots with active status certification, at any place in this State, subject to the 6
110+order or control of or pursuant to a request of the State government or any political subdivision 7
111+thereof. The term "emergency management worker" under this section shall also include any 8
112+health care worker performing health care services as a member of a hospital-based or 9
113+county-based State Medical Assistance Team designated by the North Carolina Office of 10
114+Emergency Medical Services and any person performing emergency health care services under 11
115+G.S. 90-12.2." 12
116+SECTION 4. The Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency 13
117+Management, shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this act. The Division shall have 14
118+the Emergency Citizen Pilot Training Program operational by January 1, 2027. The Division 15
119+shall report to the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee on the 16
120+implementation of the Program and other provisions of this act on or before October 1, 2026, and 17
121+one year thereafter. 18
122+SECTION 5. Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this act become effective October 1, 2025. The 19
123+remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law. 20