A new bill filed by State Rep. Larry W. Potts seeks to modernize health care powers of attorney and advance directive procedures, including electronic filing and registry management, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 349 on March 10 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Reqs HC POA/Adv Direct/IEP Nurse Choice.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill updates requirements for health care powers of attorney and advance health care directives in North Carolina and authorizes the Secretary of State to receive electronic filings of these directives. It amends the definitions and forms related to health care powers of attorney, emphasizing the need for signatures to be witnessed by two qualified witnesses or acknowledged by a notary public. The bill permits electronic or hard copy submission of health care documents for filing in the Advance Health Care Directive Registry and specifies the procedures for notarization, submission, and storage of documents. Additionally, it clarifies the Secretary of State’s responsibilities in managing these documents within the registry, including the removal of records upon notified death of the registrant. This legislation takes effect on Oct. 1, 2025.
Of the four sponsors of this bill, Grant L. Campbell, MD proposed the most bills (21) 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, 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, 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, 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. |
