A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to make various changes to the laws governing the practice of chiropractic.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 90‑139(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	The North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners is created to consist of eight members appointed by the Governor and General Assembly. Six of the members shall be practicing doctors of chiropractic, who are residents of this State and who have actively practiced chiropractic in the State for at least eight consecutive years immediately preceding their appointments; four of these six members shall be appointed by the Governor, and two by the General Assembly in accordance with G.S. 120‑121, one each upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. No more than three members of the Board may be graduates of the same college, program, or school of chiropractic. The other two members shall be persons chosen by the Governor to represent the public at large. The public members shall not be health care providers nor the spouses of health care providers. For purposes of Board membership, "health care provider" means any licensed health care professional and any agent or employee of any health care institution, health care insurer, health care professional school, or a member of any allied health profession. For purposes of this section, a person enrolled in a program to prepare him to be a licensed health care professional or an allied health professional shall be deemed a health care provider. For purposes of this section, any person with significant financial interest in a health service or profession is not a public member."
SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 90‑142 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90‑142.  Powers; duties.
The North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners shall have the following powers and duties:
…
(13)	Establish certification standards for the practice of acupuncture by doctors of chiropractic."
SECTION 1.(c)  G.S. 90‑142.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90‑142.1.  Supervised training programs authorized.
(a)	As used in this section, "preceptorship program" means a clinical program of an approved chiropractic program in which a student of chiropractic, under the direct supervision of a licensed chiropractor, observes the licensed chiropractor and may perform chiropractic services as defined in G.S. 90‑143(a) and subject to G.S. 90‑151. For the purposes of this section, "direct supervision" means that the supervising licensed chiropractor must be within the immediate patient treatment area and available to the student at all times.
(b)	Each student enrolled in a chiropractic program that meets the accreditation requirements of G.S. 90‑143 may participate in a preceptorship program."
SECTION 1.(d)  G.S. 90‑143 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90‑143.  Definitions of chiropractic; examinations; educational requirements.
(a)	"Chiropractic" is herein defined to be the science of adjusting the cause of disease by realigning the spine, releasing pressure on nerves radiating from the spine to all parts of the body, and allowing the nerves to carry their full quota of health current (nerve energy) from the brain to all parts of the body.
(b)	It shall be the duty of the North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners (hereinafter referred to as "Board") to examine for licensure to practice chiropractic in this State any applicant who is a graduate of an accredited chiropractic program that is either accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or deemed by the Board to be the equivalent of such a program and who furnishes to the Board, in the manner prescribed by the Board, all of the following:
(1)	Satisfactory evidence of good moral character.
(2)	Proof that the applicant has received a baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accreditation body recognized by the United States Department of Education or its international equivalent.
(3)	A transcript confirming that the applicant has received a doctor of chiropractic degree from an accredited chiropractic program.
The examination shall include North Carolina jurisprudence and any other related studies as the Board may consider necessary to determine an applicant's fitness to practice. The Board may include as part of the examination any examination developed and administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners or its successor organization that the Board considers appropriate, and the examination may be administered by a national testing service. The Board shall set the passing scores for all parts of the examination.
…."
SECTION 1.(e)  G.S. 90‑146 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90‑146.  Graduates from other states.
A graduate of an accredited chiropractic program who comes into this State from another state may be granted a license by the North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners as required in this Article."
SECTION 1.(f)  G.S. 90‑151 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90‑151.  Extent and limitation of license.
Any person obtaining a license from the North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners shall have the right to practice the science known as chiropractic, in accordance with the method, thought, and practice of chiropractors, as taught in recognized chiropractic schools, programs, and colleges, but shall not prescribe for or administer to any person any medicine or drugs requiring a prescription in accordance with rules and regulations by the United States Food and Drug Administration, nor practice osteopathy or surgery."
SECTION 1.(g)  G.S. 90‑154.3 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90‑154.3.  Acceptable care in the practice of chiropractic.
(a)	It shall be unlawful for a doctor of chiropractic to examine, treat, or render any professional service to a patient that does not conform to the standards of acceptable care.
(b)	For purposes of disciplinary action, the North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners may adopt rules that establish and define standards of acceptable care with respect to:
(1)	Examination and diagnosis.
(2)	The use of chiropractic treatment.
(3)	Physiological therapeutic agents.
(4)	Diagnostic imaging.
(5)	The maintenance of patient records.
(6)	Sanitation, safety, and the adequacy of clinical equipment.
(c)	Repealed by Session Laws 2021‑120, s. 1(a), effective October 1, 2021.
(d)	Nothing in this section shall alter the lawful scope of practice of chiropractic as defined in G.S. 90‑143 or the limitation of license as defined in G.S. 90‑151."
SECTION 2.  The North Carolina State Board of Chiropractic Examiners may adopt rules to implement the provisions of this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2025.