HB 1172, known as the Ciji Graham Act, establishes a 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 access barriers. The bill also creates a statewide pregnancy consultation hotline for healthcare providers and community organizations to offer real-time clinical guidance and referrals, alongside a centralized digital hub containing clinical guidelines and provider directories. Funded through the state's General Fund starting in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, these measures aim to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities by ensuring timely access to specialized care and resources.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to North Carolina that would legally define human life as beginning at fertilization. If passed by voters in 2026, it would classify an unborn child as an individual person entitled to state protection from the moment of fertilization until natural death. The measure would also classify willful attempts to end a life at any stage as attempted murder or first-degree murder, while explicitly allowing individuals to use deadly force to defend their own lives or the lives of others. This change would fundamentally alter the state's legal framework regarding abortion and fetal rights by embedding these definitions directly into the constitution.
This bill directs the North Carolina Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to create statewide education programs focused on consumer finance safety and public health awareness. The state will fund the development of dedicated websites and toolkits by September 2026 to help local communities launch their own awareness campaigns regarding fraud, identity theft, reproductive health, LGBTQIA+ issues, and racial health disparities. A total of $7 million in recurring funds is allocated to support these initiatives, which are explicitly restricted to explaining existing laws and resources rather than advocating for new legislation. The Department of Justice will receive $3 million, while the Department of Health and Human Services will receive $4 million, with both agencies required to submit progress reports by September 2027.
The BUMP Act directs North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services to provide free, evidence-based education on stillbirth prevention to pregnant patients and train prenatal care providers on monitoring fetal movement and managing related risks. Funded by $400,000 in recurring state money, the bill requires educational materials in English and Spanish to be given to all pregnant women, while also offering training for medical staff on recognizing warning signs like decreased fetal movement. Additionally, the legislation allocates $200,000 to launch a statewide "Count the Kicks" public awareness campaign that prioritizes outreach in areas with higher stillbirth rates to encourage expectant parents to track fetal movements. These measures aim to improve maternal and fetal outcomes by promoting awareness of risk factors and ensuring consistent clinical responses to potential complications.
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.
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 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, titled the Dr. Janell Green Smith Maternal Health Accountability Act, aims to improve maternal health outcomes in North Carolina by formally recognizing and regulating Certified Professional Midwives alongside other licensed midwives. It requires hospitals to implement specific safety protocols, such as standardized emergency response plans and annual bias training for staff, while prohibiting care denial based on the type of provider or birth setting. To ensure transparency, the legislation mandates that healthcare facilities annually report detailed data on maternal mortality, morbidity, and other key metrics to the state Department of Health and Human Services, with this data made publicly available and broken down by race and geography. Additionally, the bill establishes a statewide reporting and navigation system to help patients access grievance processes, legal resources, and mental health support.
This bill creates the Affordable Maternal Access and Cancer Care Act to improve health outcomes for marginalized groups in North Carolina by establishing two new programs. The first part sets up a grant program that provides funding to community-led organizations to address maternal mortality and severe illness among underserved populations, with a focus on supporting social needs like housing, nutrition, and transportation. The second part ensures that patients do not face higher costs for necessary breast imaging tests compared to standard screening mammograms. The legislation appropriates five million dollars for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to fund these initiatives and hire staff to manage the grants.
This bill directs $250,000 in nonrecurring state funds to the City of Winston-Salem for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The money is intended to support a rural maternal health program at Brenner Children's Hospital. The legislation takes effect on July 1, 2026.
