GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2013
SESSION LAW 2013-161
SENATE BILL 486
AN ACT requiring hospitals to provide parents of newborns with educational information about pertussis disease and available vaccine protections in order to better protect newborns against pertussis disease.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. Article 5 of Chapter 131E of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 131E‑79.2. Educating parents of newborns regarding pertussis disease.
(a) Each hospital licensed under this Article shall provide to the parents of newborns delivered at the hospital free, medically accurate educational information about pertussis disease and the availability of the tetanus-diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine to protect against pertussis disease. The hospital shall provide this educational information to parents during the postpartum period and prior to the mother's discharge from the hospital. As used in this section, "postpartum period" means the period of time between the mother's admittance to the hospital for delivery of the newborn child through the first few hours after childbirth.
(b) The educational information provided to parents pursuant to this section shall include, at a minimum, the most current recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices regarding the use of tetanus-toxoid-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine to reduce the burden of pertussis in infants.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a hospital to provide or pay for any vaccination against pertussis disease."
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective October 1, 2013.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 11th day of June, 2013.
s/ Daniel J. Forest
President of the Senate
s/ Thom Tillis
Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ Pat McCrory
Governor
Approved 4:28 p.m. this 19th day of June, 2013