North Carolina Legislative Report - February 19, 2016
February 19, 2016
The General Assembly convened for the 2015 legislative long session on January 14 and adjourned September 30. Lawmakers will return to Raleigh for the short session April 25, 2016. The MVA Public Affairs Legislative Report on North Carolina will be distributed on a bi-weekly basis during the interim to keep you up to date on the latest legislative issues facing the state.
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Committees
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services
The Committee met on Tuesday, February 9. Secretary Rick Brajer gave some opening remarks on the recent Child & Family Services review by Children’s Bureau and an update on the Office of Program Evaluation Reporting and Accountability. Joyce Jones, Committee Staff, and Norma Houston, UNC School of Government, gave an update on the contracting specialist & certification program, design & implementation study. Dave Richard, Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance, and Courtney Cantrell, Director of the Division of Mental Health, gave a update on contracting for mental health services. Cantrell then gave an update on LME/MCO single stream funding. Shelley Carraway, Chief of the Division on Health Services Regulation, Dale Armstrong, Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services, and Courtney Cantrell, presented an overview of the 2016 state medical facilities plan. Dr. Chris Conover of Duke University then discussed the economic benefits of less restrictive regulation of advanced-practice registered nurses in North Carolina. Wayne Black, Division of Social Services Director, and Sharon Moore, Work First Policy Consultant, gave an update on the implementation on drug testing for Work First Program Assistance. John Correllus, Director of the Government Data Analytics Center, and Kelly Fuller, Executive Director of the NC HIE Authority, gave an HIE implementation update.
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC Health Choice
The Committee met on Tuesday, February 9. Secretary Rick Brajer gave some opening remarks and Dave Richard, Deputy Secretary for the Division of Medical Assistance, gave an update on Medicaid and NC Health Choice enrollment. Trey Sutten, Finance Director for the Division of Medical Assistance, and Joe Cooper, Chief Information Officer, then gave an update on the Medicaid and NC Health Choice budget forecast. Dee Jones, Director of Operations of the Division of Health Benefits reviewed the staffing status of the Division of Health Benefits and the current work plan for the Division of Health Benefits.
Revenue Laws Study Committee
The Committee met on Tuesday, February 9 and began with a presentation from Alan Woodard, Director of Examinations at the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Mr. Woodard provided information on the Department’s efforts with respect to various tax compliance initiatives. Next, legislative staff provided a follow-up presentation and a legislation proposal with respect to market-based sourcing of sales for corporation apportionment purposes. Staff followed with a presentation dealing with issues related sales tax collection on Internet sales. Finally, staff provided information on the fiscal impact to the State and taxpayers of increasing the standard deduction for personal income tax purposes. Due to some technical difficulties with presentation equipment in them committee room, further planned presentations were delayed until the next meeting.
Environmental Review Commission
The Commission held its second meeting of the interim on Wednesday, February 10. After opening remarks from the Commission Co-Chairs, members heard presentations on the disposal of solar panels. Representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the NC Utilities Commission, NC Sustainable Energy Association and First Solar participated in the discussion. Tom Reeder, DEQ Assistant Secretary for the Environment, briefed the Commission on post-construction stormwater management measures, riparian buffer requirements for intermittent streams and nutrient management in reservoirs. Also participating in the nutrient management discussion was Forest Westall, Upper Neuse River Basin Association and Jim Wrenn with the Stormwater Utility of Granville County. The Commission will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, March 9 at 9:00 a.m.
Congressional Redistricting
Redistricting committees met throughout the week beginning Monday, February 15. The committees met in response to a federal court order requiring the General Assembly to redraw two Congressional districts by February 19. The districts were found to be unconstitutional due to an overreliance on race as a factor in drawing district lines. Highlights of committee meetings included:
- Senate Bill 2. The General Assembly adopted new district lines to take effect unless the Supreme Court of the United States reverses or stays the decision of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina holding the current district lines to be unconstitutional.
- House Bill 2. The General Assembly ratified legislation to move the primary for U.S. House of Representatives seats to June 7, 2016 (subject to the same contingencies discussed in Senate Bill 2) and made related changes with respect to this change in the primary date. All other primaries would remain on March 15. One of those changes would allow a person to run for separate offices in the March and June primaries (for example, a sitting legislator could run in the primary for his or her legislative seat in March and in the primary for a Congressional seat in June), but an individual who won both primaries would be required to withdraw from one of the races within one week after the certification of results for both primaries. In addition, this bill would eliminate the possibility of a second primary for an office, and instead provide that the winner of the primary was the individual receiving the most votes regardless of whether general law requirements were met with respect to receiving a minimum percentage of votes cast in the election.
In The News
Raleigh News & Observer: New NC congressional map, primary date get legislative approval
High Country Press: Rep. Jordan, Rep. Fraley to Chair House Committee on Education on Universities
Charlotte Observer: Charlotte region should look to global trade, officials say
Raleigh News & Observer: Scalia’s death could have quick impact on NC redistricting case