AN ACT appropriating funds to the department of health and human services, division of public health, to continue the state's progress in communicable disease response.

Whereas, there are over 80 reportable communicable diseases in North Carolina that local health departments (LHDs) are responsible for investigating and managing; and

Whereas, LHDs must respond to the rise and spread of newly emerging and re‑emerging communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, avian flu, Marburg virus, and Mpox; and

Whereas, North Carolina has currently seen cases of avian flu in commercial poultry flocks, requiring a high level of monitoring and support from LHDs to address the risk of human spread; and

Whereas, LHDs in North Carolina remain understaffed, with an estimated 70% shortage of public health staff at the local level, including communicable disease nurses and other professionals, who are vital to the State's communicable disease response; Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, the sum of twenty‑five million dollars ($25,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year and the sum of twenty‑five million dollars ($25,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year to be allocated to local health departments, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, to do all of the following:

(1)        To better prepare the State for emerging and re‑emerging public health threats.

(2)        To retain staff, hire additional disease staff, including public health nurses and other public health professionals, and to expand public health programs and services, which are vital not only to maintaining North Carolina's communicable disease response but also to ensuring that the essential public health services described in G.S. 130A‑1.1 are available and accessible to the population served by each local health department.

SECTION 1.(b)  In the distribution of these funds to local health departments, for each year of the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium, the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, shall do all of the following:

(1)        Divide twelve million five hundred thousand dollars ($12,500,000) equally among the local health departments based on the number of counties served by each local health department.

(2)        Distribute the remaining twelve million five hundred thousand dollars ($12,500,000) to local health departments based upon the percentage of the State population served by each of the local health departments.

(3)        Begin distributing the funds allocated under this section no later than (i) 60 days after the date the Office of State Budget and Management and the Office of the State Controller establish the certified budget for the Department of Health and Human Services for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year and (ii) 60 days after the date the Office of State Budget and Management and the Office of the State Controller establish the certified budget for the Department of Health and Human Services for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.