H.B. 887 Summary

• Renames the "North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board" to the "North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board" and restructures it to nine members with staggered three-year terms, appointed by the Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Governor.

• Increases Board-approved education hours required for substance abuse counselor, prevention consultant, and criminal justice addictions specialist certification from 270 to 300 hours, effective October 1, 2019.

• Creates the North Carolina Impaired Professionals Program to provide screening, referral, monitoring, and support services for credentialed professionals with substance use disorders, mental illness, or professional sexual misconduct, with confidentiality protections.

• Modifies definitions to use "substance use disorder" terminology throughout the Article and clarifies that independent study cannot include network-enabled real-time instructor-student interaction; defines traditional classroom-based study to include audio/video conferencing.

• Discontinues the certified substance abuse residential facility director credential effective July 1, 2019, with remaining references removed upon expiration of existing credentials.