Protect Moms Who Serve.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 1061

Short Title: Protect Moms Who Serve. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Applewhite and Murdock (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
May 4, 2026
*S1061-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALT H AND HUMAN SERVICES , IN 2
CONSULTATION WITH TH E DEPARTMENT OF MILI TARY AND VETERANS 3
AFFAIRS, TO STUDY HEALTH ISSUES AFFECTING WOMEN WHO SERVE IN THE 4
MILITARY; AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THIS PURPOSE. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1.(a) The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) shall study 7
the following issues affecting women who serve in the military: 8
(1) Coordinating effectively between veterans health care facilities and 9
non-veterans health care facilities in the delivery of maternity care and other 10
health care services. 11
(2) Facilitating access to community resources to address social determinants of 12
health, including housing, nutrition, and employment status. 13
(3) Identifying mental and behavioral health risk factors in the prenatal and 14
postpartum periods and ensuring that pregnant and postpartum veterans get 15
the treatments they need. 16
(4) Facilitating access to childbirth preparation classes, parenting classe s, 17
nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, lactation classes, and breast 18
pumps. 19
(5) Reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, with a particular 20
focus on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. 21
(6) Referring veterans who are mothers to the VA Community Care Network and 22
recommendations for how that process can be improved. 23
(7) Existing barriers to maternity care affecting veterans who are mothers. 24
SECTION 1.(b) In conducting the study required by subsection (a) of thi s section, 25
the Department of Health and Human Services shall solicit feedback from mothers who are 26
currently serving, or who formerly served, in the military. In addition, the DHHS shall consult 27
with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), as necessary. The DMVA shall 28
cooperate with the DHHS and provide any assistance or information requested with respect to 29
the study required by subsection (a) of this section. 30
SECTION 1.(c) By April 1, 2027, the DHHS shall report its findings, and any 31
recommendations for legislation, to the Senate Health Care Committee, the Joint Legislative 32
Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee 33
on General Government, and the Fiscal Research Division. 34
SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 35
Health and Human Services the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 1061-First Edition
funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year for the purpose of conducting the study described in Section 1
1 of this act. 2
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026. 3