Protect NC Prosperity & Health
Senate Bill 625 would direct two state agencies to launch two-year public awareness initiatives beginning July 1, 2025. The Department of Justice would create a consumer finance awareness program focused on scams and fraud risks such as phishing, mail fraud, identity theft, pyramid schemes, predatory home-based business opportunities, and money transfer fraud. That program would include a public website, a toolkit for local communities, statewide outreach, and the option to contract with a third-party expert to help implement the effort.
The Department of Health and Human Services would be required to create a separate health and civil rights awareness initiative addressing public health risks and issues involving reproductive, LGBTQIA+, gender, and racial health topics. Like the consumer finance program, it would include a website, a local-use toolkit, coordinated outreach, technical assistance to communities, and the option to use a third-party entity with relevant expertise. Both initiatives are framed as educational and informational rather than regulatory, and both are intended to be supported by future appropriations in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
The bill does not directly amend existing consumer finance, health, or civil rights statutes, but it creates new administrative duties for the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. It requires each agency to build and maintain public-facing educational resources, coordinate outreach to local communities, and report progress to legislative oversight committees by September 1, 2026. The bill also expressly limits the use of state funds for these initiatives by prohibiting advocacy, lobbying, or promotion of new or revised laws, confining the programs to explaining existing laws and resources.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text, the measure appears designed as a public education and outreach effort, which may appeal to supporters of consumer protection and public health awareness. At the same time, the inclusion of civil rights topics and the explicit anti-lobbying language suggest the bill was drafted with sensitivity to potential political controversy.
The most likely points of contention are the scope and subject matter of the health and civil rights initiative, especially its inclusion of reproductive, LGBTQIA+, gender, and racial health issues. Critics could view that section as politically charged or as an indirect way to promote certain viewpoints, while supporters would characterize it as neutral public education about health disparities and existing rights. Another possible issue is the use of state funds and third-party contractors, though the bill attempts to address that by limiting the programs to informational purposes and barring advocacy for new laws.