North Carolina HB 1206: Student Mental Health Well-Being/COVID-19.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1206

Short Title: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act/Funds. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Budd, Rubin, and Liu (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
May 5, 2026
*H1206-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION AND PROMOTE WOMEN'S HEALTH AND 2
ECONOMIC SECURITY BY ENACTING THE NORTH CAROLINA PREGNANT 3
WORKERS FAIRNESS ACT AND APPROPRIATE FUNDING FOR 4
IMPLEMENTATION. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. Effective January 1, 2027, Chapter 95 of the General Statutes is 7
amended by adding a new Article to read: 8
"Article 24. 9
"Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. 10
"§95-280. Title. 11
This Article shall be known and may be cited as the "North Carolina Pregnant Workers 12
Fairness Act." 13
"§ 95-281. Definitions 14
The following definitions apply in this Article: 15
(1) Covered entity. – Each of the following: 16
a. A private employer engaged in an industry affecting commerce who 17
employs 15 or more employees. 18
b. The executive, judicial, and legislative branches of State government. 19
c. A unit of local government, including a county, city, or town. 20
(2) Employee. – Any individual employed by a covered entity, including an 21
applicant for employment. 22
(3) Known limitation. – Any physical or mental condition related to, affected by, 23
or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions that the 24
employee or the employee's representative has communicated to the covered 25
entity, regardless of whether that condition meets the definition of disability 26
under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12102. 27
(4) Qualified employee. – An employee or applicant who, with or without 28
reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the 29
employment position. An employee or applicant is also qualified if any 30
inability to perform an essential function is for a temporary period, the 31
essential function could be performed in the near future, and the inability to 32
perform that function can be reasonably accommodated. 33
(5) Reasonable accommodation and undue hardship. – As defined in Section 101 34
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12111, and 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1206-First Edition
interpreted consistent with that Act and the regulations promulgated 1
thereunder, including the interactive process for identifying and implementing 2
an appropriate accommodation. Rules adopted by the Commissioner under 3
G.S. 95-285 shall be consistent with this definition and shall not be construed 4
to limit rights afforded under this Article. 5
"§ 95-282. Unlawful employment practices. 6
It is an unlawful employment practice for any covered entity to do any of the following: 7
(1) Fail or refuse to make reasonable accommodations to the known limitations 8
of a qualified employee related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical 9
conditions, unless the covered entity demonstrates that the accommodation 10
would impose an undue hardship on the operation of its business. 11
(2) Impose an accommodation upon a qualified employee for a known limitation 12
related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions without first 13
engaging in the interactive process with that employee to identify an effective 14
accommodation. 15
(3) Require a qualified employee to accept a particular accommodation for a 16
known limitation related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical 17
conditions where an alternative accommodation identified through the 18
interactive process would be equally effective and would not impose an undue 19
hardship on the covered entity. 20
(4) Deny employment opportunities to a qualified employee where the denial is 21
based on the need to make reasonable accommodations to that employee's 22
known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical 23
conditions. 24
(5) Require a qualified employee to take leave, whether paid or unpaid, where 25
another reasonable accommodation can be provided to address that 26
employee's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related 27
medical conditions. 28
(6) Take any adverse action in the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment 29
against a qualified employee on account of that employee's request for or use 30
of a reasonable accommodation for known limitations related to pregnancy, 31
childbirth, or related medical conditions. 32
"§ 95-283. Retaliation and coercion prohibited. 33
(a) Nondiscrimination. – No covered entity or other person shall discriminate against any 34
employee because that employee has opposed any act or practice made unlawful under this 35
Article, or because that employee made a charge, testified, assisted