AN ACT directing the department of health and human services to establish and administer a statewide fetal alcohol spectrum disorders program; creating a fetal alcohol spectrum disorders advisory committee; and appropriating funds for these purposes.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  Part 2 of Article 5 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new sections to read:

§ 130A‑127.1.  Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Program.

(a)        As used in this section, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders or FASD means a range of effects that can occur in an individual who has been prenatally exposed to alcohol. Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading cause of preventable developmental disabilities, including over 400 co‑occurring possible disease conditions, impacting the brain, vision, hearing, heart, circulation, digestion, and musculoskeletal and respiratory systems. FASD includes diagnoses such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol‑Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Static Encephalopathy – Alcohol Exposed, Neurobehavioral Disorders Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, and alcohol‑related birth defects.

(b)        The Department shall establish and administer a statewide Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Program to prevent alcohol‑exposed pregnancies, to educate all populations about FASD, and to provide evidence‑based interventions for individuals diagnosed with FASD. The Department shall designate an FASD Program Coordinator with knowledge and experience in the field of prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD. The goals of the Program include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1)        Utilizing and adapting existing federal or State programs to include FASD identification and FASD‑informed support.

(2)        Developing and expanding screening and diagnostic capacity for FASD.

(3)        Developing, implementing, and evaluating targeted FASD‑informed intervention programs for FASD.

(4)        Increasing awareness of FASD.

(5)        Providing training with respect to FASD for professionals across relevant sectors.

(6)        Serving as a centralized resource for issues related to FASD and disseminating information about FASD and support services to affected individuals and their families.

§ 130A‑127.2.  FASD Advisory Committee; creation and purpose; composition; powers and duties.

(a)        Creation and Purpose. – There is established the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder Advisory Committee. The purpose of the FASD Advisory Committee is to provide guidance to the FASD Program established pursuant to G.S. 130A‑127.1 in the prevention of FASD and in the delivery of services to identify, treat, and support individuals with FASD and their families.

(b)        Powers and Duties. – The FASD Advisory Committee has the following powers and duties:

(1)        To develop a statewide strategic plan to substantially reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and provide for the identification, treatment, and support of individuals with FASD and their families.

(2)        To provide guidance on the implementation of the strategic plan developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection by reviewing and commenting on grant proposals addressing prenatal alcohol and substance exposure and FASD‑informed supports and interventions.

(3)        To identify existing federal and State agency programs related to prenatal alcohol and substance exposure and FASD, and to make recommendations for the utilization and adaption of such programs to include prenatal alcohol screening and FASD‑informed supports and interventions.

(4)        To review programs of State agencies that relate to prenatal alcohol or substance exposure and FASD, and to coordinate such programs that are interdepartmental in nature pursuant to an interagency agreement, whenever feasible.

(c)        Composition. – The FASD Advisory Committee shall consist of the following 17 members:

(1)        The Secretary or a designee of the Secretary, who shall be a senior level employee, for each of the following Departments:

a.         The Department of Health and Human Services.

b.         The Department of Corrections.

c.         The Department of Public Instruction.

d.         The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

e.         The Department of Commerce.

(2)        Four public members appointed by the Governor, each of whom shall be an individual diagnosed with FASD or a family member of an individual diagnosed with FASD.

(3)        Four public members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and four members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, each of whom shall be a health, education, or justice professional; a provider of FASD prevention or treatment services; or a member of a tribal population.

(d)       A vacancy on the Committee shall be filled by the original appointing authority, using the criteria set out in this section for the original appointment.

(e)        To the extent that funds are made available, members of the Committee shall receive per diem and necessary travel and subsistence expenses in accordance with G.S. 138‑5.

(f)        A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of its business.

(g)        The Committee may use funds allocated to it to employ an administrative staff person to assist the Committee in carrying out its duties. The Secretary shall provide clerical and other support staff services needed by the Committee.

SECTION 1.(b)  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Governor shall make their appointments to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Advisory Committee not later than 90 days after the effective date of this act.

SECTION 1.(c)  Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring funds for the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium to (i) establish and administer the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Program authorized by G.S. 130A‑127.1, as enacted by subsection (a) of this section, and (ii) pay for the operating expenses of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Advisory Committee established by G.S. 130A‑127.2, as enacted by subsection (a) of this section.

SECTION 2.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.