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Bill Summary · HB 399

Summary — HB 399 (NC): NC Board of Nursing Licensure Fees

Status: Reported Favorably (Reptd Fav)
Introduced: November 12, 2024
Subject areas: Boards; Fees; Health services; Licensing & certification; Nurses; Nursing Board

Purpose / Intent

HB 399 raises a set of statutory licensure and related fees collected by the North Carolina Board of Nursing to provide funding for the Board’s operations and to allow the Board to assess costs associated with disciplinary actions. The bill preserves the Board’s special-fund status (fees pay Board expenses; not charged to the State treasury).

Key provisions — fee changes (maximums)

The bill revises G.S. 90‑171.27 to increase the statutory cap on a number of fees. The schedule below shows current amounts followed by the new maximum allowed under the bill:

  • Registered Nurse (RN)

    • Application for examination (initial RN license): $75 → $150
    • Endorsement (RN by endorsement): $150 → $300
    • Re-examination (each): $75 → $150
    • Renewal (two-year period): $100 → $200
    • Reinstatement of lapsed license (and renewal): $180 → $280

  • Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

    • Application for examination (initial LPN license): $75 → $150
    • Endorsement (LPN by endorsement): $150 → $300
    • Re-examination (each): $75 → $150
    • Renewal (two-year period): $100 → $200
    • Reinstatement of lapsed license (and renewal): $180 → $280

  • Retired status

    • Application for retired RN or retired LPN status: $50 → $100
    • Reinstatement of retired nurse to active practice (two‑year period): $100 → $200

  • Other provisions

    • Board may charge reasonable duplication fees to recover costs for services/materials.
    • A fee for any listed item may not increase by more than 20% from one year to the next.
    • No refunds of fees.
    • Board may assess costs of disciplinary action against a nurse found in violation of the Nursing Practice Act.

Procedural / implementation details

  • The Board may adopt temporary rules to implement the act.
  • Effective date: October 1, 2025.
  • Applicability: the fee caps apply to applications, renewals, and reinstatements on or after October 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Primary: applicants for RN/LPN licensure (initial exam, endorsement, re-exam), currently licensed RNs and LPNs who renew or reinstate, and retired nurses seeking retired status or reinstatement.
  • Secondary: nursing employers and training programs (indirectly, via changes to licensure costs); the NC Board of Nursing (revenue/administration).
  • Fiscal effect: increases available fee revenue for the Board to cover salaries, operations, and disciplinary costs; does not directly appropriate state general fund dollars because Board operates from its special fund.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • For most individuals the bill approximately doubles many license and application fees (e.g., renewals and initial applications).
  • The 20% year‑to‑year cap limits the Board’s ability to raise fees annually beyond that threshold without further statutory change.
  • By authorizing the Board to assess disciplinary costs, the bill may shift some enforcement costs onto disciplined licensees.
  • The Board’s temporary‑rule authority should allow faster implementation of procedural changes needed to collect revised fees.

If you want, I can:
- produce an estimated per‑license cost impact for typical nurses (annualized),
- extract only the statutory language and highlight exact amended statutory subsections, or
- prepare a short legislative timeline/status update with committee actions.

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

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