A new bill filed by State Rep. Huneycutt seeks to authorize optometrists to offer telemedicine services in North Carolina while maintaining regulatory oversight and practice standards, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 658 on April 1 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Optometrists Telehealth Services.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill allows licensed optometrists in North Carolina to provide telehealth services, enabling them to treat patients within the state through telemedicine without needing to be physically located in North Carolina or possessing a license in the state where they are located. It maintains the jurisdiction of the Board of Examiners in Optometry over any violations during telemedicine practice and ensures that telemedicine does not change the scope of optometry practice. The North Carolina Board of Examiners in Optometry is instructed to adopt rules for implementing this act, covering aspects like the licensee-patient relationship, evaluation, diagnosis, record-keeping, and telemedicine standards. The bill is set to become effective Oct. 1, 2025.
Of the four sponsors of this bill, Grant L. Campbell, MD proposed the most bills (46) 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.
Huneycutt graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2014 with a BA.
Huneycutt, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2025 to represent the state’s 67th House district, replacing previous state representative Clayton Sasser.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Huneycutt, Grant L. Campbell, MD, Jarrod Lowery, and Jonathan L. Almond | HB 658 | 04/01/2025 | Optometrists Telehealth Services. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Donna McDowell White, Terry M. Brown Jr., and Vernetta Alston | HB 634 | 03/31/2025 | Parity Enhancement for Addiction Recovery. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Donny Lambeth, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Larry W. Potts | HB 562 | 03/27/2025 | Com. Coll. Behav. Health Workforce Enhan. Act. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Larry W. Potts, Phil Shepard, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 565 | 03/27/2025 | Check Yes, Save Lives. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Kyle Hall, Mike Schietzelt, and Wyatt Gable | HB 568 | 03/27/2025 | 2025 Omnibus Labor Amendments.-AB |
| Cody Huneycutt, Allen Chesser, Heather H. Rhyne, and Kyle Hall | HB 574 | 03/27/2025 | Workforce Development Pilot Project. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Donny Lambeth, Edward C. Goodwin, and Karl E. Gillespie | HB 512 | 03/25/2025 | Emer. Care/Animals/Vet. Practice. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Donnie Loftis, Donny Lambeth, and Larry W. Potts | HB 489 | 03/24/2025 | Insurance Coverage Emergency Ambulance Trans. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Brian Biggs, Brian Echevarria, and Keith Kidwell | HB 470 | 03/20/2025 | The Second Amendment Protection Act. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Donnie Loftis, Howard Penny, Jr., and Karl E. Gillespie | HB 471 | 03/20/2025 | Food Labeling Transparency Act. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Hugh Blackwell, Kyle Hall, and Sarah Stevens | HB 443 | 03/18/2025 | Const. Amendment: Council of State Vacancies. |
| Cody Huneycutt, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Allen Chesser, and Charles W. Miller | HB 450 | 03/18/2025 | Private Property Rights Act. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Harry Warren, Jeff Zenger, and Karl E. Gillespie | HB 381 | 03/12/2025 | On-Site Wastewater System Amendments. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Brian Turner, John R. Bell, IV, and Karl E. Gillespie | HB 382 | 03/12/2025 | Elk Permit Auction/Raffle. |
| Cody Huneycutt and Mike Schietzelt | HB 387 | 03/12/2025 | Eliminate Tax on Gov’t Retirees. |
| Cody Huneycutt, B. Ray Jeffers, and Jeffrey C. McNeely | HB 348 | 03/10/2025 | Annexation of PUV Land/School Capacity. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Carla D. Cunningham, Grant L. Campbell, MD, and Larry W. Potts | HB 349 | 03/10/2025 | Reqs HC POA/Adv Direct/IEP Nurse Choice. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Allen Chesser, Heather H. Rhyne, and Kyle Hall | HB 351 | 03/10/2025 | Recovery-Friendly Workplace Program/Funds. |
| Cody Huneycutt, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Heather H. Rhyne | HB 330 | 03/06/2025 | Controlled Substances Act – Updates. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Heather H. Rhyne, Hugh Blackwell, and Jarrod Lowery | HB 163 | 02/21/2025 | Pharmacy Benefits Manager Provisions. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Donny Lambeth, Larry W. Potts, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 152 | 02/18/2025 | Access to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Ben T. Moss, Jr., Mitchell S. Setzer, and Pricey Harrison | HB 120 | 02/13/2025 | Expand Project C.A.R.E./Funds. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Carla D. Cunningham, Mitchell S. Setzer, and Monika Johnson-Hostler | HB 121 | 02/13/2025 | SchCalFlex/Statewide/Open Cal. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Julia C. Howard, Paul Scott, and Steve Tyson | HB 97 | 02/11/2025 | Support Firefighters Fighting Cancer. |
| Cody Huneycutt and Ben T. Moss, Jr. | HB 71 | 02/06/2025 | Respiratory Care Modernization Act. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Julia C. Howard, Larry W. Potts, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 54 | 02/04/2025 | Funds for NC APSE. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Julia C. Howard, Larry W. Potts, and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 55 | 02/04/2025 | Funds for the IGNITE Program. |
| Cody Huneycutt, Julia C. Howard, Neal Jackson, and Paul Scott | HB 37 | 02/03/2025 | Enhance Firefighter Benefits & Representation. |
| Cody Huneycutt | HB 23 | 01/29/2025 | Various State and Local Gov’t Provisions. |
| Cody Huneycutt and Mitchell S. Setzer | HB 25 | 01/29/2025 | Restore Down-Zoning Auth./Stanly & Catawba. |
