More than a dozen laws to go into effect in NC January 1, 2022

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As we prepare to enter the new year, more than a dozen new laws will be going into effect statewide January 1, 2022. Some impact government officials, law enforcement, and the state health plan.

A law hoping to increase transparency with local government will make it a felony for elected officials to use their positions for their own financial benefit, also blocking public officials who serve on nonprofit boards from voting to award contracts to those organizations.

Another law, allows state health plan members like teachers and state employees to adopt an incentivized program to report activities such as fraud, misappropriation of state resources, mismanagement or waste of money, or abuse of authority by health care providers, ensuring they are free of intimidation or harassment when reporting it.

Those who help uphold the law will also be seeing changes in their hiring protocols thanks to a law promoting mental health. It will require law enforcement officers to be screened before employment, educate them on maintaining good mental health and providing them with resources to so.

The law also identifies other training requirements for officers, like having to receive training in responding to and investigating domestic violence cases, juvenile justice issues, ethics, community policing, minority sensitivity, use of force, and the duty to intervene and report.

There are eighteen new laws going into effect January 1, 2022.