Protect NC Prosperity & Health.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 625

Short Title: Protect NC Prosperity & Health. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Bradley, Garrett, and Chitlik (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S625-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO LAUNCH A STATEWIDE INITIATIVES TO PROTECT NORTH CAROLINA 2
PROSPERITY AND HEALTH. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1.(a) Consumer Finance Awareness Initiative. – The Department of 5
Justice (Department) shall launch a two-year statewide consumer finance awareness initiative to 6
educate the public about risks including but not limited to phishing, mail fraud, identity theft, 7
pyramid schemes, predatory home-based business opportunities, and money transfer fraud. The 8
initiative required under this section shall include the development of (i) the website and toolkit 9
required under subsection (b) of this section and (ii) the outrea ch process required under 10
subsection (c) of this section. 11
SECTION 1.(b) Development of Website and Toolkit. – The Department shall 12
develop a website to provide information to the public about (i) the risks listed in subsection (a) 13
of this section; (v) lin ks to webpages for various resources related to consumer finance and 14
emerging schemes and fraudulent activities; and (ii) access to a toolkit of information that local 15
communities may use to launch consumer finance awareness initiatives at the local level. The 16
toolkit shall provide materials and resources that may be tailored to a community's needs and 17
used for launching local education and awareness campaigns, events, and local groups focused 18
on consumer finance awareness and the distribution of informatio n related thereto. The website 19
and toolkit required under this section shall be developed by July 1, 2025. 20
SECTION 1.(c) Development of State-Coordinated Outreach. – Upon development 21
of the website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section , the Department shall 22
develop and implement an outreach process for disseminating the information and toolkit 23
described in subsection (b) of this section to the public and to local communities, as well as the 24
provision of technical assistance to local com munities to assist them in utilizing the toolkit to 25
launch local initiatives. 26
SECTION 1.(d) Use of Third-Party Entity. – The Department may contract with a 27
third-party entity with relevant expertise related to consumer finance to launch the awareness 28
initiative required under subsection (a) of this section. 29
SECTION 1.(e) Prohibition on Advocacy. – The awareness initiative required under 30
subsection (a) of this section and any State funds used to launch and maintain the initiative shall 31
not be used to advocate, promote, or lobby for the creation of new or the revision of existing laws 32
regulating consumer finance. The initiative and any State funds used to launch or maintain the 33
initiative shall only be used for the purposes set forth in subsections (b) through (d) of this section 34
and only to explain and promote existing laws and resources for consumer awareness and 35
protection. 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 625-First Edition
SECTION 1.(f) Intent to Fund. – It is the intent of the General Assembly to 1
appropriate funds during the 2025 -2026 fiscal year to be used to cover costs incurred from 2
implementing the provisions of this section. 3
SECTION 1.(g) Report. – The Department of Justice shall submit a report to the 4
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety detailing the progress in 5
meeting the requirements set forth in subsection (a) of this section. The report required under this 6
section shall be submitted by September 1, 2026. 7
SECTION 2.(a) Health and Civil Rights Awareness Initiative. – The Department of 8
Health and Human Services (De partment) shall launch a two -year statewide health and civil 9
rights awareness initiative to educate the public about the risks to public health and information 10
pertaining to issues including, but not limited to, reproductive, LGBTQIA+, gender, and racial 11
health issues. The initiative required under this section shall include the development of (i) the 12
website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section and (ii) the outreach process 13
required under subsection (c) of this section. 14
SECTION 2.(b) Development of Website and Toolkit. – The Department shall 15
develop a website to provide information to the public about (i) the risks and issues listed in 16
subsection (a) of this section; (v) links to webpages for various resources related health and civil 17
rights; and (ii) access to a toolkit of information that local communities may use to launch health 18
and civil rights initiatives at the local level. The toolkit shall provide materials and resources that 19
may be tailored to a community's needs, distributed to local media outlets, and used for launching 20
local education and awareness campaigns, events, and local groups focused on health and civil 21
rights awareness and the distribution of information related thereto. The website and toolkit 22
required under this section shall be developed by July 1, 2025. 23
SECTION 2.(c) Development of State-Coordinated Outreach. – Upon development 24
of the website and toolkit required under subsection (b) of this section, the Department shall 25
develop and implement an outreach proces s for disseminating the information and toolkit 26
described in subsection (b) of this section to the public and to local communities, as well as the 27
provision of technical assistance to local communities to assist them in utilizing the toolkit to 28
launch local initiatives. 29
SECTION 2.(d) Use of Third-Party Entity. – The Department may contract with a 30
third-party entity with relevant expertise related to health and civil rights to launch the awareness 31
initiative required under subsection (a) of this section. 32
SECTION 2.(e) Prohibition on Advocacy. – The awareness initiative required under 33
subsection (a) of this section and any State funds used to launch and maintain the initiative shall 34
not be used to advocate, promote, or lobby for the creation of new or the revision of existing laws 35
regulating health and civil rights. The initiative and any State funds used to launch or maintain 36
the initiative shall only be used for the purposes set forth in subsections (b) through (d) of this 37
section and only to explain and promote existing laws and resources for health and civil rights. 38
SECTION 2.(f) Intent to Fund. – It is the intent of the General Assembly to 39
appropriate funds during the 2025 -2026 fiscal year to be used to cover costs incurred from 40
implementing the provisions of this section. 41
SECTION 2.(g) Report. – The Department of Health and Human Services shall 42
submit a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services 43
detailing the progress in meeting the requirements set forth in subsection (a) of this section. The 44
report required under this section shall be submitted by September 1, 2026. 45
SECTION 3. Effective Date. – This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 46