A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO direct the department of transportation to study the need for interstate access improvements to assist first responders and for the benefit of public safety and to allow certain emergency medical services personnel to carry concealed weapons when providing tactical assistance to law enforcement in emergency situations.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

PART I. INTERSTATE ACCESS STUDY
SECTION 1.(a)  Study. – The Department of Transportation shall study the needs of law enforcement, emergency medical and emergency management personnel, and firefighters to improve access to or within the interstate system within this State for the benefit of public safety. In conducting the study, the Department of Transportation may consult with the Division of Emergency Management of the Department of Public Safety, the Office of State Fire Marshal of the Department of Insurance, the Office of Emergency Medical Services of the Department of Health and Human Services, and any other State or local government organizations the Department of Transportation determines may be of assistance in the course of the study. In performing the study, the Department of Transportation shall, at a minimum, take the following steps:
(1)	Consult with county fire marshal divisions, emergency management offices, and emergency medical service divisions to determine potential sites of interest for construction or improvement relevant to the study.
(2)	Establish criteria to prioritize sites of interest for either construction or improvement.
(3)	Review applicable federal and State laws, codes, standards, and studies relevant to the study.
(4)	Review (i) existing Department of Transportation planning, design, and construction standards for interchanges, median crossovers, and access points and (ii) how those standards consider the needs of law enforcement, emergency medical and emergency management personnel, and firefighters.
(5)	Consider the feasibility of providing opportunities for stakeholder input during the planning of future interstate improvements that focus on the needs of law enforcement, emergency medical and emergency management personnel, and firefighters.
(6)	Examine any other matters the Department of Transportation deems relevant in the course of the study.
SECTION 1.(b)  Report. – The Department of Transportation shall report the findings and recommendations, including any legislative proposals, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee, and the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee no later than March 1, 2022.

PART II. CONCEALED CARRY FOR CERTAIN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL
SECTION 2.(a)  G.S. 14‑269 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14‑269.  Carrying concealed weapons.
(a)	It shall be unlawful for any person willfully and intentionally to carry concealed about his or her person any bowie knife, dirk, dagger, slung shot, loaded cane, metallic knuckles, razor, shuriken, stun gun, or other deadly weapon of like kind, except when the person is on the person's own premises.
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(b)	This prohibition shall not apply to the following persons:
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(10)	Emergency medical services personnel, as defined in G.S. 131E‑155, while on duty, who are deployed as part of their official duties providing tactical medical assistance to law enforcement in an emergency situation, including a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operation. In order to qualify under this subdivision, emergency medical services personnel shall have completed an approved tactical medical assistance course for supporting tactical law enforcement operations. An approved course shall (i) include an element on firearms safety and training, (ii) include instruction in the laws of this State governing the use of deadly force, and (iii) require training and qualification on all weapons systems, both lethal and less than lethal, deemed necessary by any law enforcement agency the emergency medical services personnel supports. For purposes of this subdivision, an approved course shall be any course which satisfies the requirements of this subdivision and is certified or sponsored by one or more of the following organizations:
a.	The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.
b.	The National Rifle Association.
c.	A law enforcement agency, college, private or public institution or organization, or firearms training school, taught by instructors certified by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission or the National Rifle Association.
Every instructor of an approved course shall file a copy of the course description, outline, and proof of certification annually, or upon modification of the course if more frequently, with the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.
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SECTION 2.(b)  State and local law enforcement agencies shall provide paramedics rendering tactical medical assistance during a Special Weapons and Tactics operation with the same protective equipment provided to other members of a Special Weapons and Tactics operation.
SECTION 2.(c)  This section is effective December 1, 2019, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.

PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.