A new bill filed by State Rep. Larry W. Potts in the North Carolina House seeks to enhance protections for residents of long-term care facilities through expanded ombudsman services, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 343 on March 10 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill appropriates $380,000 in recurring funds for the 2025-26 fiscal year and $397,000 for the 2026-27 fiscal year from the General Fund to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services. The funds are designated to create four full-time ombudsman positions within the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The aim is to enhance protections for residents of long-term care facilities by aligning the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program with national standards. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.
Of the four sponsors of this bill, Potts proposed the most bills (18) during the 2025 regular session.
Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
Potts, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2017 to represent the state’s 81st House district, replacing previous state representative Rayne Brown.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry W. Potts, Carla D. Cunningham, Mitchell S. Setzer, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 343 | 03/10/2025 | Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act. |
| Larry W. Potts, Carla D. Cunningham, Cody Huneycutt, and Grant L. Campbell, MD | HB 349 | 03/10/2025 | Reqs HC POA/Adv Direct/IEP Nurse Choice. |
| Larry W. Potts, Carla D. Cunningham, Donnie Loftis, and Donny Lambeth | HB 328 | 03/06/2025 | Ban Delta-8 & Delta-9 on School Grounds. |
| Larry W. Potts, Carla D. Cunningham, Donnie Loftis, and Donny Lambeth | HB 329 | 03/06/2025 | Tobacco and Hemp on Nonpublic School Grounds. |
| Larry W. Potts, Donna McDowell White, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 229 | 02/26/2025 | Medicaid Rates/Ambulatory Surgical Centers. |
| Larry W. Potts, Grant L. Campbell, MD, Hugh Blackwell, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 231 | 02/26/2025 | Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact. |
| Larry W. Potts, Donna McDowell White, Donny Lambeth, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 242 | 02/26/2025 | Add Psychiatric Hospitals to Medicaid HASP. |
| Larry W. Potts and Donna McDowell White | HB 197 | 02/25/2025 | Local Communicable Disease Programs/Funds. |
| Larry W. Potts, Carla D. Cunningham, Donna McDowell White, and Karl E. Gillespie | HB 160 | 02/21/2025 | Joel H. Crisp SUDEP Awareness Law. |
| Larry W. Potts, Cody Huneycutt, Donny Lambeth, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 152 | 02/18/2025 | Access to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. |
| Larry W. Potts, Bill Ward, Jennifer Balkcom, and Ray Pickett | HB 139 | 02/17/2025 | Baby Boxes/Newborn Safety Device. |
| Larry W. Potts, Donny Lambeth, Erin Paré, and Kyle Hall | HB 124 | 02/13/2025 | Adopt Official State Cookie. |
| Larry W. Potts, Donna McDowell White, and Donny Lambeth | HB 113 | 02/12/2025 | Create Committee on Medicaid Sustainability. |
| Larry W. Potts, Donny Lambeth, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 67 | 02/05/2025 | Healthcare Workforce Reforms. |
| Larry W. Potts, Cody Huneycutt, Julia C. Howard, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 54 | 02/04/2025 | Funds for NC APSE. |
| Larry W. Potts, Cody Huneycutt, Julia C. Howard, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 55 | 02/04/2025 | Funds for the IGNITE Program. |
| Larry W. Potts, Brian Biggs, Donny Lambeth, and Tricia Ann Cotham | HB 60 | 02/04/2025 | Modernize Medicaid Dental Rates. |
| Larry W. Potts, Donny Lambeth, Jeff Zenger, and Kyle Hall | HB 30 | 02/03/2025 | SchCalFlex/WS-F,Stokes,Davdsn/Aug11 & Assmnts. |
