AN ACT to launch Statewide INITIATIVES to protect North Carolina Prosperity and Health.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  Consumer Finance Awareness Initiative. – The Department of Justice (Department) shall launch a statewide consumer finance awareness initiative to educate the public about risks, including, but not limited to, phishing, mail fraud, identity theft, pyramid schemes, predatory home‑based business opportunities, and money transfer fraud. The initiative required under this section shall include the development of (i) the website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section and (ii) the outreach process required under subsection (c) of this section.

SECTION 1.(b)  Development of Website and Toolkit. – The Department shall develop a website to provide information to the public about (i) the risks listed in subsection (a) of this section, (ii) links to webpages for various resources related to consumer finance and emerging schemes and fraudulent activities, and (iii) access to a toolkit of information that local communities may use to launch consumer finance awareness initiatives at the local level. The toolkit shall provide materials and resources that may be tailored to a community's needs and used for launching local education and awareness campaigns, events, and local groups focused on consumer finance awareness and the distribution of information related thereto. The website and toolkit required under this section shall be developed by September 1, 2026.

SECTION 1.(c)  Development of State‑Coordinated Outreach. – Upon development of the website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section, the Department shall develop and implement an outreach process for disseminating the information and toolkit described in subsection (b) of this section to the public and to local communities, as well as the provision of technical assistance to local communities to assist them in utilizing the toolkit to launch local initiatives.

SECTION 1.(d)  Use of Third‑Party Entity. – The Department may contract with a third‑party entity with relevant expertise related to consumer finance to launch the awareness initiative required under subsection (a) of this section.

SECTION 1.(e)  Prohibition on Advocacy. – The awareness initiative required under subsection (a) of this section and any State funds used to launch and maintain the initiative shall not be used to advocate, promote, or lobby for the creation of new or the revision of existing laws regulating consumer finance. The initiative and any State funds used to launch or maintain the initiative shall only be used for the purposes set forth in subsections (b) through (d) of this section and only to explain and promote existing laws and resources for consumer awareness and protection.

SECTION 1.(f)  Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of three million dollars ($3,000,000) in recurring funds beginning in the 2026‑2027 fiscal year to be used to cover costs of the initiative.

SECTION 1.(g)  Report. – The Department of Justice shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety detailing the progress in meeting the requirements set forth in subsection (a) of this section. The report required under this section shall be submitted by September 1, 2027.

SECTION 2.(a)  Health and Civil Rights Awareness Initiative. – The Department of Health and Human Services (Department) shall launch a statewide health and civil rights awareness initiative to educate the public about the risks to public health and information pertaining to issues including, but not limited to, reproductive, LGBTQIA+, gender, and racial health issues. The initiative required under this section shall include the development of (i) the website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section and (ii) the outreach process required under subsection (c) of this section.

SECTION 2.(b)  Development of Website and Toolkit. – The Department shall develop a website to provide information to the public about (i) the risks and issues listed in subsection (a) of this section, (ii) links to webpages for various resources related to health and civil rights, and (iii) access to a toolkit of information that local communities may use to launch health and civil rights initiatives at the local level. The toolkit shall provide materials and resources that may be tailored to a community's needs, distributed to local media outlets, and used for launching local education and awareness campaigns, events, and local groups focused on health and civil rights awareness and the distribution of information related thereto. The website and toolkit required under this section shall be developed by September 1, 2026.

SECTION 2.(c)  Development of State‑Coordinated Outreach. – Upon development of the website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section, the Department shall develop and implement an outreach process for disseminating the information and toolkit described in subsection (b) of this section to the public and to local communities, as well as the provision of technical assistance to local communities to assist them in utilizing the toolkit to launch local initiatives.

SECTION 2.(d)  Use of Third‑Party Entity. – The Department may contract with a third‑party entity with relevant expertise related to health and civil rights to launch the awareness initiative required under subsection (a) of this section.

SECTION 2.(e)  Prohibition on Advocacy. – The awareness initiative required under subsection (a) of this section and any State funds used to launch and maintain the initiative shall not be used to advocate, promote, or lobby for the creation of new or the revision of existing laws regulating health and civil rights. The initiative and any State funds used to launch or maintain the initiative shall only be used for the purposes set forth in subsections (b) through (d) of this section and only to explain and promote existing laws and resources for health and civil rights.

SECTION 2.(f)  Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services the sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) in recurring funds beginning in the 2026‑2027 fiscal year to be used to cover costs of the initiative.

SECTION 2.(g)  Report. – The Department of Health and Human Services shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services detailing the progress in meeting the requirements set forth in subsection (a) of this section. The report required under this section shall be submitted by September 1, 2027.

SECTION 3.  Effective Date. – This act becomes effective July 1, 2026.