AN ACT appropriating funds to the department of health and human services to develop a competitive grant program to address vaccine hesitancy among historically marginalized populations within the state.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in consultation with its Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, shall establish the COVID‑19 Vaccine Hesitancy Elimination Program (Program) as a competitive grant program. The purpose of the program is to improve the State's COVID‑19 vaccination rate among historically marginalized populations residing in North Carolina by partnering with minority businesses, as defined in G.S. 143‑128.2(g)(1), to conduct or host public communications, health, or educational initiatives; community vaccination events; social media initiatives; or other activities, all of which shall be approved in advance by the DHHS to achieve the purpose of the Program. The DHHS shall select grant recipients based upon selection criteria developed by the DHHS, and no one grant award shall exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Grant recipients shall use grant awards to conduct or host the initiatives and activities approved in advance by the DHHS to improve the COVID‑19 vaccination rate of historically marginalized populations in the grant recipient's surrounding community. Grant recipients may not use more than five percent (5%) of their grant award for administrative costs. Applications for the Program must be submitted on forms provided by the DHHS. The DHHS shall continue to accept applications for the Program until all Program funds are expended. In selecting grant recipients to participate in the Program, the DHHS shall give priority, in no particular order of importance, to the following categories of minority businesses that primarily serve historically marginalized populations:

(1)        Hair salons.

(2)        Barber shops.

(3)        Faith‑based organizations.

(4)        Community centers.

(5)        Public and nonpublic schools.

(6)        Long‑term care facilities, as defined in G.S. 131E‑114.3(a)(1).

(7)        Rehabilitation centers.

SECTION 1.(b)  By November 1, 2022, grant recipients shall submit a report to the Department of Health and Human Services that provides at least the following Program information:

(1)        A detailed breakdown of the grant recipient's use of the grant award.

(2)        The number of individuals served by each grant recipient through the initiative or activity preapproved by the DHHS to achieve the purpose of this Program.

(3)        Any other information the DHHS deems necessary or relevant.

SECTION 1.(c)  By December 1, 2022, the DHHS shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division on the grant awards allocated under the Program that includes at least all of the following:

(1)        The identity and a brief description of each grant recipient and each initiative or activity hosted or conducted by the grant recipient.

(2)        The amount of funding awarded to each grant recipient.

(3)        A detailed breakdown of each grant recipient's use of the grant award.

(4)        The number of persons served by each grant recipient, broken down by initiative or activity.

SECTION 2.  Effective July 1, 2021, 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 nonrecurring funds for the 2021‑2022 fiscal year, to be used to establish and operate the COVID‑19 Vaccine Hesitancy Elimination Grant Program authorized by Section 1 of this act.

SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.