AN ACT to direct the department of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES to conduct a compliance review following a report of an attempted suicide by an inmate in the custody of A local confinement facility in the state and to appropriate funds.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 153A‑225 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(a1)    If a prisoner in the custody of a local confinement facility attempts suicide, the administrator of the facility shall make a written report to the local or district health director and to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services within five days of the date of the suicide attempt. The report shall be made on forms developed and distributed by the Department of Health and Human Services and reported to the address set forth on the form.

Following each reported attempted suicide, the Department shall review the facility's compliance with its suicide prevention program and other relevant minimum standards published pursuant to G.S. 153A‑220 and G.S. 153A‑221. Following a review, the Department shall make a written report summarizing its findings and shall submit that report to the local or district health director, the governing body, and other local officials responsible for the facility within 30 days of the date the inspection is conducted pursuant to this section and G.S. 153A‑222.

For the purposes of this section, a suicide attempt is a nonfatal, self‑directed, and potentially injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior which results in or is likely to have resulted in physical injury requiring medical treatment.

SECTION 2.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Services Regulation, Construction Section, the sum of one hundred eighty‑six thousand seven hundred two dollars ($186,702) in recurring funds for each year of the 2021‑2023 fiscal biennium to be used to hire two full‑time Jail Inspectors to perform inspections of local confinement facilities as required by G.S. 153A‑222.

SECTION 2.(b)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Services Regulation, Construction Section, the sum of one hundred ten thousand two hundred ninety‑six dollars ($110,296) in recurring funds for each year of the 2021‑2023 fiscal biennium to be used to hire one full‑time Facility Compliance Consultant II or comparable position to perform compliance reviews of each attempted suicide reported pursuant to the requirements of Section 1 of this act.

SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2021. The remainder of this act becomes effective July 1, 2021.