Bill > S625

This bill establishes two separate two-year statewide awareness initiatives through the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. The first initiative focuses on consumer finance awareness, aiming to educate the public about risks such as phishing, mail fraud, identity theft, pyramid schemes, predatory business opportunities, and money transfer fraud. The Department of Justice will develop a website and toolkit by July 1, 2025, providing information on these risks, links to resources, and materials that local communities can use to launch their own awareness campaigns. Similarly, the second initiative centers on health and civil rights awareness, educating the public about reproductive, LGBTQIA+, gender, and racial health issues. Both initiatives include provisions for developing websites, toolkits, and state-coordinated outreach processes, with the option to contract with third-party experts. Importantly, both initiatives are explicitly prohibited from advocating for new laws or revising existing ones, and are intended to only explain and promote existing laws and resources. The General Assembly intends to appropriate funds for these initiatives during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and each department is required to submit a progress report by September 1, 2026. The act will become effective on July 1, 2025.

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S625