A new bill filed by State Sen. Val Applewhite in the North Carolina Senate aims to strengthen care and coordination for high-risk pregnancies through statewide programs and provider support, according to the North Carolina State Senate.
The bill, filed as SB 907 on April 29 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘The Ciji Graham Act.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill, effective July 1, 2026, directs the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to improve care for high-risk pregnancies by creating a statewide navigation program, a consultation hotline and a centralized clinical information hub. It appropriates $2.3 million in recurring funds to place nurse consultants in each Medicaid region to help patients understand diagnoses, coordinate referrals, address barriers and use telehealth. It allocates $7.7 million in recurring funds for a weekday hotline that offers real-time clinical advice and referrals for providers and community groups. The bill also requires standardized referral pathways so patients with high-risk pregnancies receive prompt access to specialized care or, when chosen or medically indicated and allowed by law, pregnancy termination services.
Of the three sponsors of this bill, Natalie S. Murdock proposed the most bills (92) during the 2025 regular session.
Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
Applewhite graduated from Strayer University with a BBA.
Applewhite, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 19th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Kirk deViere.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Val Applewhite, Gladys A. Robinson, and Natalie S. Murdock | SB 907 | 04/29/2026 | The Ciji Graham Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Caleb Theodros, and Joyce Waddell | SB 525 | 03/25/2025 | Living Wage Guarantee Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Julie Mayfield, and Sydney Batch | SB 553 | 03/25/2025 | Save More Tatas Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Kandie D. Smith, and Natalie S. Murdock | SB 560 | 03/25/2025 | Taskforce on Missing BIPOC Women. |
| Val Applewhite, Natalie S. Murdock, and Sophia Chitlik | SB 583 | 03/25/2025 | Lead. Invest. Families/Foster Teen Act (LIFT). |
| Val Applewhite, Lisa Grafstein, and Woodson Bradley | SB 659 | 03/25/2025 | Investing in North Carolina Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Gladys A. Robinson, and Kandie D. Smith | SB 660 | 03/25/2025 | Honoring Sacrifice: NC Veterans Relief Act. |
| Val Applewhite and Kandie D. Smith | SB 661 | 03/25/2025 | Protect Moms Who Serve. |
| Val Applewhite and Mujtaba A. Mohammed | SB 698 | 03/25/2025 | Fair Districts Stronger Democracy Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Lisa Grafstein, and Woodson Bradley | SB 708 | 03/25/2025 | Working Families Act. |
| Val Applewhite | SB 395 | 03/24/2025 | Disaster Relief Eviction Moratorium Act. |
| Val Applewhite and Jay J. Chaudhuri | SB 409 | 03/24/2025 | Ban Ghost Guns & Undetectable Firearms. |
| Val Applewhite | SB 421 | 03/24/2025 | Prison Reform Omnibus. |
| Val Applewhite and Sophia Chitlik | SB 439 | 03/24/2025 | Moratorium on Opportunity Scholarships. |
| Val Applewhite | SB 337 | 03/19/2025 | Reallocate Civil War & Reconst. Hist Ctr Fnds. |
| Val Applewhite, Kandie D. Smith, and Terence Everitt | SB 338 | 03/19/2025 | NC Farmland and Military Protection Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Caleb Theodros, and Gladys A. Robinson | SB 348 | 03/19/2025 | Home Comfort Act. |
| Val Applewhite and Gladys A. Robinson | SB 323 | 03/18/2025 | Student Health and Responsibility Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Kandie D. Smith, and Terence Everitt | SB 324 | 03/18/2025 | 2025 Safe Drinking Water Act. |
| Val Applewhite, Graig Meyer, and Lisa Grafstein | SB 294 | 03/13/2025 | Budgeting Accountability and Transparency. |
| Val Applewhite, Lisa Grafstein, and Natalie S. Murdock | SB 233 | 03/05/2025 | Make Corporations Pay What They Owe. |
| Val Applewhite, Mujtaba A. Mohammed, and Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 211 | 02/27/2025 | Reenact the Earned Income Tax Credit. |
| Val Applewhite, Caleb Theodros, and Woodson Bradley | SB 161 | 02/25/2025 | The Jenesis Firearm Accountability Act. |
| Val Applewhite | SB 90 | 02/12/2025 | 19th Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
