WeVote
Log In

Bill

WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 944

Summary — HB 944: Fund Community Health Services / Mecklenburg County

Status: Passed first reading; pending committee action (House Appropriations)
Primary sponsors: Representatives Carney, Cotham, and Lofton (House); (filed Apr 10–14, 2025)
Subject tags: Appropriations; Health services; Counties; Mecklenburg County; Grants; Nonprofit clinics; DHHS; Rural health

Purpose and intent

The bill provides a directed, one-time state grant to support operations of a nonprofit community health clinic in Mecklenburg County (Care Ring, Inc.). Its stated intent is to expand or sustain access to primary care for medically vulnerable residents who face geographic, economic, or other barriers to receiving needed primary care.

Key provisions

  • Appropriation: $1,500,000 in nonrecurring General Fund appropriations for the 2025–2026 fiscal year.
  • Recipient and administering agency: Funds are to be allocated by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Central Management and Support, Office of Rural Health, as a directed grant to Care Ring, Inc.
  • Purpose of funds: Support operations of Care Ring, a nonprofit community health clinic in Mecklenburg County that provides primary care services to medically vulnerable residents.
  • Effective date: The act becomes effective July 1, 2025.
  • Nature of funding: One-time (nonrecurring) directed grant — not establishing a recurring program or ongoing statutory entitlement.

Who is affected

  • Care Ring, Inc.: Primary beneficiary; will receive the directed grant to support clinic operations.
  • Medically vulnerable residents of Mecklenburg County: Expected beneficiaries through maintained or expanded access to primary care services.
  • DHHS / Office of Rural Health: Responsible for allocation and any applicable grant administration/oversight.
  • State General Fund: Will incur a $1.5 million nonrecurring expenditure in FY 2025–26.

Fiscal impact

  • State cost: $1,500,000 one-time reduction in the General Fund for FY 2025–26. No explicit recurring fiscal commitment in the bill text.
  • Local impact: No direct local-government revenue or recurring costs specified beyond the service impact to Mecklenburg County residents.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Appropriation targets the 2025–2026 fiscal year; statutory effective date July 1, 2025.
  • As of listed legislative actions, the bill has passed first reading and been referred to the House Appropriations committee (or equivalent referral path); further committee consideration and final enactment are required for the appropriation to be made.

Observations

This is a targeted, one-time funding measure to sustain a single nonprofit clinic’s operations and the primary-care access it provides in Mecklenburg County. The bill does not create ongoing programmatic funding or change substantive health or regulatory law; accountability and reporting requirements (if any) would be determined by DHHS grant terms or implementing language outside the bill text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.