GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1995

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 935

Short Title:  Rest Home Alarms Mandated.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives Clary; Aldridge, Allred, Arnold, Barbee, Berry, Bowie, W. Brown, Buchanan, Cansler, Capps, Cocklereece, Creech, Culp, Davis, Eddins, Fitch, Hiatt, McAllister, McMahan, K. Miller, Nichols, Pate, Pulley, Rayfield, Reynolds, Sexton, Sharpe, Tallent, Weatherly, and G. Wilson.

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Referred to:  Welfare Reform and Human Resources.

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April 12, 1995

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES ENSURE THAT ALL EXITS IN ALL DOMICILIARY CARE FACILITIES ARE EQUIPPED WITH ALARMS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Effective January 1, 1996, the Department of Human Resources shall ensure that all domiciliary care facilities licensed pursuant to Article 1 of Chapter 131D of the General Statutes have continual alarms at every exit and that these alarms are never deactivated except in specific cases when the Department has approved specific facilities to have one exit's alarm deactivated during specified daytime hours so that that exit may serve the entire facility as a visitor's entrance and exit.
The Department shall adopt rules to implement this act, including rules to ensure that deactivation takes place only in certain controlled and supervised cases and to ensure that the alarms have the necessary volume to alert all facility employees that the exits have been used.  
The Department shall report its proposed rules to the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging, established pursuant to Article 21 of Chapter 120 of the General Statutes prior to the adoption of any rules implementing this act.  In this report, it shall recommend any necessary legislative action that it considers necessary, including any penalties that should be imposed on a domiciliary care facility that fails to maintain alarms at all its exits as required by this act.
Sec. 2.  This act is effective upon ratification.