Today's NC Political News briefs
North Carolina lawmakers and state agencies have several statewide policy items moving this week. Today’s briefs include health care competition legislation, coastal regulation bills, nonprofit privacy legislation and an ongoing public comment period for election rules.
Health care competition bill moves to Senate budget committee
Senate Bill 978, titled “Healthcare Competition Reforms,” was reported favorably June 16 and re-referred to the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee. The bill record lists affected areas including hospitals, patient rights, whistleblowers, consumer protection, contracts, the Attorney General, the State Auditor and the State Treasurer. Because NC Political News already published a preview of the bill Tuesday, this should be treated as a brief update unless the newsroom wants a fuller follow-up based on the committee action.
Senate committee lists coastal regulatory bills
The Senate Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee scheduled a Wednesday meeting to consider Senate Bill 1001, “Coastal Regulatory Reform,” and Senate Bill 1009, “Repeal Hardened Structure Ban.” Senate Bill 1001 includes topics tied to CAMA, coastal resources, emergency management, water resources and administrative rules. Senate Bill 1009 concerns coastal resources, beach erosion and erosion structures.
House Rules lists nonprofit privacy bill
The House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee scheduled Senate Bill 675, titled “Charitable Orgs. Privacy Protection Act,” for a Wednesday meeting. The bill was re-referred to House Rules on June 16, according to the bill record. The current bill record lists the measure as public and notes that the text has changed.
Child welfare bill appears on House Rules agenda
The House Rules Committee also listed Senate Bill 280, the “Dominique Moody Act,” for Wednesday. A related House bill, the “Dominique Moody Safety Act,” would make changes to laws involving abuse, neglect and dependency cases for juveniles, including child welfare escalation provisions. Because the Senate bill page did not surface cleanly in search results, this item should be checked directly in the NCGA dashboard before publication.
Public comment remains open on proposed election rules
The State Board of Elections is taking public comment through July 14 on four sets of proposed administrative rules covering absentee voting, photo ID, recounts and voting sites. The comment period opened May 15, and the board said it will review public comments and consider revisions before final action.
