AN ACT creating a trauma prevention task force within the department of health and human services; and appropriating funds to support the work of the task force.

Whereas, Alexandra (Allie) Christian Palmer was a seventh‑grade student and cheerleader at E.B. Frink Middle School in La Grange, North Carolina, who was a fan of North Carolina State University and hoped to one day become a veterinarian; and

Whereas, Allie suddenly and tragically lost her life due to an all‑terrain vehicle accident on January 11, 2022; and

Whereas, Allie is only one of many North Carolina residents who lost her life this year due to a fatal trauma injury; and

Whereas, the General Assembly finds it is in the best interest of the State to prevent as many trauma injuries and deaths as possible; Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  This act shall be known and may be cited as The Allie Palmer Act.

SECTION 2.  Article 1B of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 130A‑33.70.  North Carolina Trauma Prevention Task Force.

(a)        Creation and Duties. – There is created the North Carolina Trauma Prevention Task Force within the Department of Health and Human Services for budgetary purposes only. The Task Force shall have the following powers and duties:

(1)        Undertake a statistical study of the incidences and causes of trauma deaths and injuries in this State and establish a profile of trauma deaths and injuries. The study shall include an analysis of deaths and injuries by age, cause, and geographic distribution.

(2)        Report annually to the Governor and General Assembly, within the first week of the convening or reconvening of the General Assembly. The report shall contain recommended policies on the prevention of penetrating and blunt trauma injuries and deaths in the State, as well as any other recommendations for changes to any law, rule, or policy that the Task Force has determined will reduce the incidence of penetrating and blunt trauma injuries and deaths in the State. Any recommendations of changes to law, rule, or policy shall be accompanied by specific legislative or policy proposals and detailed fiscal notes setting forth the costs to the State.

(3)        Research what additional roles the State can play in trauma care and prevention.

(4)        Perform any other studies, evaluations, or determinations the Task Force considers necessary to carry out its mandate.

(b)        Membership. – The Task Force shall be composed of 35 members as follows:

(1)        The Chief Medical Examiner, or a designee.

(2)        The Attorney General, or a designee.

(3)        The Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, or a designee.

(4)        The Director of the Division of Emergency Management, or a designee.

(5)        The Director of the Division of Public Health, or a designee.

(6)        The Section Chief of the Adult Care Licensure Section of the Division of Health Service Regulation, or a designee.

(7)        The Section Chief of the Nursing Home Licensure and Certification Section of the Division of Health Service Regulation, or a designee.

(8)        The Director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, or a designee.

(9)        The Director of the Office of Rural Health, or a designee.

(10)      One representative of each of the following 16 organizations, appointed by the Governor, upon the recommendation of each organization:

a.         A physician licensed to practice medicine in this State who is a member of the North Carolina Division of the American Trauma Society.

b.         The Brain Injury Association of North Carolina.

c.         The Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program at East Carolina University's Department of Emergency Medicine.

d.         The North Carolina Emergency Medical Services for Children State Partnership Program.

e.         The Governor's Highway Safety Program.

f.          The North Carolina Air Medical Alliance.

g.         The North Carolina Association of EMS Administrators.

h.         The North Carolina Association of Paramedics.

i.          The North Carolina Association of Pharmacists.

j.          The North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians.

k.         The North Carolina Committee on Trauma.

l.          The North Carolina Emergency Nurses Association.

m.        The North Carolina Hospital Association.

n.         The North Carolina Medical Society.

o.         The UNC Highway Safety Research Center.

p.         The UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.

(11)      Five members of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall be a public member.

(12)      Five members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be a public member.

In making appointments or designating representatives, appointing authorities shall use best efforts to select members or representatives with sufficient knowledge and experience to effectively contribute to the duties of the Task Force and, to the extent possible, to reflect the geographical, political, gender, and racial diversity of this State.

(c)        Meetings and Quorum. – The Task Force shall meet quarterly and at other times at the call of the chair. A majority of voting members of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum.

(d)       Voting, Terms, and Vacancies. – All members of the Task Force are voting members. Vacancies in the appointed membership shall be filled by the appointing officer who made the initial appointment. Terms shall be for a period of two years. The members shall elect a chair, who shall preside for the duration of the chair's term as a member. In the event a vacancy occurs in the chair before the expiration of the chair's term, the members shall elect an acting chair to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.

(e)        Authorization to Hire Staff and Consultants; Funding. – The Task Force may use funds allocated to it to hire staff or contract with consultants and other professionals to assist the Task Force in the completion of its duties.

(f)        Compensation. – Members of the Task Force, staff, and consultants shall receive necessary travel and subsistence expenses while on official business of the Task Force in accordance with the provisions of G.S. 138‑5 or G.S. 138‑6, as applicable, paid from funds allocated to support the work of the Task Force and within the limits of those funds.

SECTION 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services the sum of one hundred fifty‑five thousand dollars ($155,000) in recurring funds to support the work and cover the expenses of the North Carolina Trauma Prevention Task Force created in Section 2 of this act.

SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2022.