The Citizens Support Act.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 3
HOUSE BILL 690
Committee Substitute Favorable 4/29/25
Committee Substitute #2 Favorable 5/6/25

Short Title: The Citizens Support Act. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 3, 2025
*H690-v-3*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, THE 2
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, THE HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY, AND LOCAL 3
HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT, AND REPORT ON A P LAN 4
TO ENSURE THAT STATE -FUNDED BENEFITS PROVIDED BY OR THROU GH 5
THESE STATE AND LOCA L AGENCIES ARE AVAIL ABLE ONLY TO UNITED 6
STATES CITIZENS AND NONCITIZENS RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES WITH 7
LEGAL PERMISSION; DI RECTING THE GOVERNIN G BODIES OF THE 8
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SYSTEM AND THE NORTH CAROLINA 9
COMMUNITY COLLEGE SY STEM TO ADOPT AND IM PLEMENT A POLICY TO 10
VERIFY THAT ALL APPL ICANTS FOR ENROLLMEN T ARE LEGALLY 11
AUTHORIZED TO RESIDE IN THE UNITED STATE S FOR DETERMINING 12
ELIGIBILITY FOR IN -STATE TUITION AND FIN ANCIAL AID; AND DIRE CTING 13
THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, DIVISION OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, TO 14
ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT A POLICY TO VERIFY T HAT ALL APPLICANTS F OR 15
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS ARE LEGALLY AUTHOR IZED TO RESIDE IN TH E 16
UNITED STATES. 17
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 18
19
PART I. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 20
SECTION 1. To the extent permitted by federal law, the Department of Health and 21
Human Services (DHHS) shall take all steps necessary to cease providing State-funded benefits 22
to noncitizens residing in the United States without legal permission. 23
SECTION 2. To the extent permitted by federal law, the DHHS shall develop and 24
implement a plan to review and update the eligibility criteria for all State -funded benefits to 25
ensure that noncitizens determined to be residing in th e United States without legal permission 26
are ineligible to receive State-funded benefits. As a part of this plan, the DHHS shall develop a 27
method for verifying the immigration status of applicants for State -funded benefits who are 28
noncitizens prior to the initiation of benefits. 29
SECTION 3. By January 15, 2026, the DHHS shall report to the Joint Legislative 30
Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division all of the 31
following: 32
(1) The steps taken to implement Section 1 of this act and the resulting success of 33
those steps. 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 690-Third Edition
(2) A list of State -funded benefits for which the DHHS is prohibited from 1
changing. 2
(3) The plan developed and implemented pursuant to Section 2 of this act, which 3
shall include a citation to each federal la w or regulation that prohibits the 4
DHHS from denying eligibility for State -funded benefits to noncitizens 5
determined to be residing in the United States without legal permission. 6
SECTION 4. As used in this Part, "State -funded benefits" includes any of the 7
following programs administered by or through a contract with the DHHS but excludes any 8
benefits or services available under these programs to help eligible beneficiaries access food or 9
meals: 10
(1) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Work First). 11
(2) Early Intervention Services. 12
(3) Rental or housing assistance programs. 13
(4) Medication assistance programs. 14
(5) Child care subsidy programs. 15
(6) Foster care and adoption assistance payments. 16
(7) Refugee assistance programs. 17
(8) Low Income Energy Assistance. 18
(9) Work First Cash Assistance and other employment and self -sufficiency 19
training and services. 20
(10) Medicaid. 21
(11) Single-stream funding. 22
(12) Inpatient psychiatric hospital services (3-Way Bed Contracts). 23
(13) The State-County Special Assistance program. 24
(14) Programs funded by the Home and Community Care Block Grant. 25
(15) Caregiver Support programs. 26
27
PART II. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY, AND 28
LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITIES 29
SECTION 5. To the extent permitted by federal law, the Department of Commerce, 30
the Housing Finance Agency, and all local housing authorities established under Chapter 157 of 31
the General Statutes shall take all steps necessary to cease providing publicly funded hous ing 32
benefits to noncitizens residing in the United States without legal permission. 33
SECTION 6. To the extent permitted by federal law, the Department of Commerce, 34
the Housing Finance Agency, and all local housing authorities established under Chapter 157 of 35
the General Statutes shall each develop and implement a plan to review and update the eligibility 36
criteria for all publicly funded housing benefits to ensure that noncitizens determined to be 37
residing in the United States without legal permission are in eligible to receive publicly funded 38
housing benefits. As a part of this plan, the Department of Commerce, the Housing Finance 39
Agency, and all local housing authorities established under Chapter 157 of the General Statutes 40
shall develop a method for verifyi ng the immigration status of applicants for publicly funded 41
housing benefits who are noncitizens prior to the initiation of benefits. 42
SECTION 7. By January 15, 2026, the Department of Commerce, the Housing 43
Finance Agency, and all local housing authorities established under Chapter 157 of the General 44
Statutes shall report to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations and the 45
Fiscal Research Division on both of the following: 46
(1) The steps taken to implement Section 5 of this act and the resulting success of 47
those steps. 48
(2) The plan developed and implemented pursuant to Section 6 of this act, which 49
shall include a citation to each federal law or regulation that prohibits the 50
Department, Office, Agency, or local government unit from denying 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 690-Third Edition Page 3
eligibility for publicly funded benefits to noncitizens determined to be 1
residing in the United States without legal permission. 2
SECTION 8. As used in this Part, "publicly funded housing benefits" means any of 3
the following programs or assistance administered by or through a contract with the Department 4
of Commerce, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, and any local housing authority 5
established under Chapter 157 of the General Statutes: 6
(1) Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). 7
(2) Rental assistance programs. 8
(3) Transitional housing programs. 9
(4) Key Rental Assistance programs (KEY). 10
(5) Subsidized housing assistance programs. 11
(6) Housing Choice Voucher program (HCV). 12
(7) NC Home Advantage Mortgage program. 13
(8) NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment program. 14
(9) HOME Investment Partnerships program (HOME). 15
(10) Community Living programs. 16
(11) Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation program (ESFR). 17
(12) Affordable Housing Development Fund program (AHDF). 18
(13) Emergency Solutions Grants program (ESG), i ncluding the Rapid 19
Unsheltered Survivor Housing program (RUSH). 20
21
PART III. THE UNIVER SITY OF NORTH CAROLI NA SYSTEM AND THE NO RTH 22
CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM 23
SECTION 9. By January 15, 2026, the governing bodies of The University of North 24
Carolina System and the North Carolina Community College System shall adopt and implement 25
a policy, to the extent allowed by federal law, to verify that all applicants for enrollment are 26
legally authorized to reside in the United States for determining eligibility for in-State tuition and 27
financial aid. 28
29
PART IV. UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION 30
SECTION 10. Notwithstanding any provision of State law and to the extent 31
permitted by federal law, by January 15, 2026, the Department of Commerce, Division of 32
Employment Security, shall adopt and implement a policy to verify, for unemployment benefits 33
purposes, that all applicants are legally authorized to reside in the United States prior to the first 34
payment of benefits. 35
36
PART V. EFFECTIVE DATE 37
SECTION 11. This act is effective when it becomes law. 38