HB 694 — First Responders/Health Care Powers of Attorney Required.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2021 H 21 HOUSE BILL 694 Committee Substitute Favorable 5/11/21 Short Title:

First Responders/HealthResponders/Medical Care POAs Required.

Representatives McNeely, Faircloth, Miller, and McNeill (Primary Sponsors).

For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.

Health, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House April 28, 2021 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT REQUIRING THAT EMPLOYEES WHO MUST RESPOND FIRST TO EMERGENCIES MUST HAVE HEALTHMEDICAL CARE POWERS OF ATTORNEY.

First responder healthmedical care power of attorney required.

(3) HealthPrivate careemployee. power of attorney.

– As defined in Article 3 of Chapter 32A of the General Statutes.

(4) Private employee.

(5)(4) Private employer.

(6)(5) Public employee.

(b) Each employing authoritythat employs public employee first responders shall require thatthateveryfirstresponderinitsemploymentshallhaveavalidmedicalpowerofattorneytoensure every first responder in its employment shall have a valid health care power of attorney to ensure that every first responder will receive prompt and appropriate medical care under any circumstances when the first responder becomes incapacitated or is otherwise unable to give medical consent for treatment.

(1) Require that each first responder execute or produce a true copy of a valid healthmedical care power of attorney.

(2) Maintain and provide access to a copy of the healthmedical care power of attorney in a manner that allows its use promptly and effectively if the first responder is incapacitated while responding to an emergency.

(3) Require that the first responder and the responder's supervisor review the healthmedical care power of attorney annually as part of the employing authority's employee performance review process.

(c) Each private employer in this State that employs private employee first responders shall require that every first responder in its employment shall have a valid healthmedical care power of attorney to ensure that every first responder will receive prompt and appropriate medical care *H694-v-2**H694-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2021 under any circumstances when the first responder becomes incapacitated or is otherwise unable to give medical consent for treatment." SECTION 2.

Page 2 House Bill 694-Second694-First Edition