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HB 845

Employee Child Care Assistance Programs Study

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Angie Nixon

HB 845 Requires public piers to install rescue gear (ring buoys with lines, signage) and public education; $25,000 grant aid to help economically distressed localities comply.

1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
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Bill Summary · HB 845

HB 845 — Reduce Drowning Risk / Public Docks (North Carolina)

Status: Introduced 2025; passed House and Senate actions in 2025 (see bill for final enactment dates).
Primary sponsor: Rep. Helfrich (and others)

Purpose / Intent

To reduce drowning risk at publicly accessible piers and water access points by requiring readily accessible water-rescue equipment (minimum: ring life buoys) and related public education, and to provide a small state grant appropriation to help economically distressed local governments comply.

Key provisions

  • Creates a new Article in G.S. Chapter 75A — the “State Waters Rescue Equipment Act.”
  • Definitions:
    • “Covered water access facility”: a pier or access point open to the public and owned/operated by the Wildlife Resources Commission, any State agency, or a unit of local government.
    • “Pier,” “access point,” and “high-incident drowning area” are defined in statute.
    • “Public rescue equipment” includes ring life buoys, throw bags, rescue tubes, rescue poles, etc.
  • Equipment requirement:
    • Owners/operators of covered facilities must install public rescue equipment, and at minimum must provide ring life buoys meeting the technical requirements below.
    • Each ring life buoy must:
    • Conform to U.S. Coast Guard SOLAS standards (46 C.F.R. Part 160, Subpart 160.050 or 160.150, or successor standards).
    • Have a buoyant line ≥ 100 feet with breaking strength ≥ 5 kilonewtons; the line end must not be secured to shore or pier.
    • Be marked with Type II retroreflective material (46 C.F.R. Part 164.018).
    • Be located no more than 200 feet from the shoreline at each access point.
    • Be stowed in a bright orange or yellow station (protected from weather), not permanently secured to the station.
    • Each pier must have appropriate signage alerting the public to equipment location and use.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Owner/operator must install, maintain the equipment and provide public education about use.
  • Grants and appropriation:
    • $25,000 nonrecurring appropriation from the General Fund (FY 2025–26) to the Wildlife Resources Commission to implement the act and provide grants to local governments in economic tier one areas.
    • Individual grants capped at $500 per unit of local government in tier one areas to help comply.
  • Effective dates (as in bill): Section 2 (appropriation) effective July 1, 2025; remainder effective upon enactment (check final law for exact effective date).

Who is affected

  • State agencies, the Wildlife Resources Commission, and units of local government that own/operate public piers and water access facilities (obligated to equip, maintain, and educate).
  • Residents and visitors using public piers/access points (improved emergency rescue capability).
  • Local governments may face modest equipment and maintenance costs; small grants available for the most economically distressed jurisdictions.

Fiscal and practical impact

  • Direct appropriation: $25,000 nonrecurring for FY 2025–26 to Wildlife Resources Commission to support compliance and small grants.
  • Expected costs to owners/operators: purchase and periodic replacement/maintenance of rescue equipment, signage, and education efforts. Costs are likely modest per facility but aggregate costs depend on number of covered facilities.
  • Anticipated public-safety benefit: increased availability of rescue devices at public docks/piers, which may reduce response times and drowning incidents.

Notes and implementation

  • Technical equipment standards reference specific U.S. Coast Guard regulations; agencies must follow those standards or successors.
  • The bill places responsibility on facility owners/operators rather than creating new enforcement penalties within the text; owners/operators are responsible for installation, maintenance, and public education.
  • For final effective dates, administrative guidance, or grant application details, consult the enacted statute and Wildlife Resources Commission guidance after enactment.

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

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