A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase access to spay and neuter services for low‑Income north carolinians.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 19A‑63 reads as rewritten:
"§ 19A‑63.  Eligibility for distributions from Spay/Neuter Account; Definitions.
(a)	A county or city is eligible for reimbursement from the Spay/Neuter Account if it meets the following condition:
(1)	The county or city offers one or more of the following programs to low‑income persons on a year‑round basis for the purpose of reducing the cost of spaying and neutering procedures for dogs and cats:
a.	A spay/neuter clinic operated by the county or city.
b.	A spay/neuter clinic operated by a non‑profit organization under contract or other arrangement with the county or city.
c.	A contract or contracts with one or more veterinarians, whether or not located within the county, to provide reduced‑cost spaying and neutering procedures.
d.	Subvention of the spaying and neutering costs incurred by low‑income pet owners through the use of vouchers or other procedure that provides a discount of the cost of the spaying or neutering procedure fixed by a participating veterinarian or other provider.
e.	Subvention of the spaying and neutering costs incurred by persons who adopt a pet from an animal shelter operated by or under contract with the county or city.
(2)	Reserved for future codification purposes.
(b)	The following definitions apply in this Article:
(1)	Local veterinarian. – A veterinarian licensed by the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board under Article 11 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes and practicing within the county where the services are provided. If no licensed veterinarian practices within that county, then a local veterinarian is a licensed veterinarian practicing in a county adjacent to the county where the services are provided. For purposes of this definition, "practicing" means engaging in the practice of veterinary medicine, as defined in Article 11 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes.
(2)	Low‑income person. – An individual who qualifies for one or more of the programs of public assistance administered by the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to Chapter 108A of the General Statutes or whose annual household income is lower than three hundred percent (300%) of the federal poverty level guidelines published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
(c)	Each county shall make rules or publish guidelines that designate what proof a low‑income person must submit to establish that the person has an annual household income lower than three hundred percent (300%) of the federal poverty level guidelines published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
(d)	Each county shall provide notice of the opportunity to participate in the program created by this Article through electronic or other means to all local veterinarians providing services for small animals to the public. Proof of the notice of this opportunity shall be included in the first reimbursement request of each calendar year."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 19A‑64(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Distribution. – The Department shall make payments from the Spay/Neuter Account to eligible counties and cities who have made timely application for reimbursement within 30 days of the closing date for receipt of applications for that quarter. In the event that total requests for reimbursement exceed the amounts available in the Spay/neuter Account for distribution, the monies available will be distributed as follows:
(1)	Fifty percent (50%) of the monies available in the Spay/Neuter Account shall be reserved for reimbursement for eligible applicants within development tier one areas as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.08. The remaining fifty percent (50%) of the funds shall be used to fund reimbursement requests from eligible applicants in development tier two and three areas as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.08.
(2)	Among the eligible counties and cities in development tier one areas, reimbursement shall be made to each eligible county or city in the proportion that the total number of eligible spay and neuter procedures in that city or county compares to the total number of eligible reimbursement requests submitted from all cities and counties within the total tier one area.
(3)	Among the eligible counties and cities in development tier two and three areas, reimbursement shall be made to each eligible county or city in the proportion that the total number of eligible spay and neuter procedures in that city or county compares to the number of eligible reimbursement requests submitted from all cities and counties within the total tier two and three area.
(4)	Should funds remain available from the fifty percent (50%) of the Spay/Neuter Account designated for development tier one areas after reimbursement of all claims by eligible applicants in those areas, the remaining funds shall be made available to reimburse eligible applicants in development tier two and three areas."
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2016.