Senate Bill 658: Water Safety Act of 2023

• Appropriates $20 million in nonrecurring funds to the North Carolina Collaboratory for PFAS research and management, including voluntary buyback programs for PFAS-containing firefighting foams from local fire departments, development of storage and destruction technologies, and construction of a training facility at the Office of the State Fire Marshal's Advanced Rescue Training Facility in Stanly County.

• Allocates $4 million in recurring funds for multiyear human exposure studies related to PFAS in North Carolina counties with higher-than-average exposure risks, prioritizing areas with primary drinking water sources from the Haw or Cape Fear River and communities near industrial PFAS processes.

• Directs the Commission for Public Health to review the National Toxicity Program's September 2022 draft report on fluoride exposure and neurodevelopmental effects, and submit findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by February 1, 2024, regarding whether current fluoride standards should be lowered.

• Appropriates $2 million in recurring funds for water-related research on emerging compounds and water quality improvements.

• Modifies the North Carolina Collaboratory's funding structure to allow revenue sharing requirements for intellectual property developed through state-funded research and permits appropriated funds to remain available until expended without reverting to the General Fund.