NCMS Intern, Author at North Carolina Medical Society

HB 961 – Oversight of LME/MCOs/New FTEs within DHHS

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Kandie Smith (D-Pitt); Rep. James Gailliard (D-Nash)

Summary

This bill appropriates $181K in recurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and $181K in recurring funds for the 2022-2023 fiscal year to DHHS to be used to create two new full-time positions within DHHS responsible for the oversight of the LME/MCOs operating in the State.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 953 – Funds for School Mental Health Support Persons

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Terry Brown, Jr. (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Amber Baker (D-Forsyth)

Summary

This bill makes a series of appropriations to the Department of Public Instruction to be allocated to local school administrative units to increase positions for school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists to specified ratios per fiscal year.

This bill also appropriates $18,800,000 in recurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year to the Department of Public Instruction to provide compensation increases for school counselors.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 952 – Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot Program

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Terry Brown, Jr. (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Cynthia Ball (D-Wake); Rep. Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Amber Baker (D-Forsyth)

Summary

This bill requires the State Board of Education to establish the Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot Program to provide funds to establish at least one mental health triage unit, composed of at least one school nurse, school social worker, and one school counselor, in each participating local school administrative unit.

This bill also permits each participating local school administrative unit to receive $250K in each fiscal year in which funds are made available to establish and maintain at least one mental health triage unit.

This bill also appropriates $2M in recurring funds to the Department of Public Instruction to implement the Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot Program.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 950 – Expand Broadband-Unserved/Underserved Areas

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon); Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln); Rep. Brian Farkas (D-Pitt); Rep. Michael Wray (D-Halifax, Northampton)

Summary

This bill establishes a broadband deployment bid process to connect unserved and underserved households in county locations within one mile of existing broadband infrastructure. Specifically, this bill:

Allows counties to identify eligible areas to coordinate with a qualified private provider to expand broadband services to unserved households.
Requires counties, when selecting among multiple bidders, to prioritize bids where an eligible provider agrees to provide a minimum of 1 gigabyte per second, symmetrical, within 48 months of project completion and to projects that will provide higher broadband speeds to households in the project area.
Establishes the County Broadband Deployment Fund and states that moneys in the Fund may only be allocated for use in connection with bid award agreements entered into between a county and a qualified private provider.
Appropriates $25M in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year to the County Broadband Deployment Fund.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 947 – The G.R.E.A.T. Broadband Expansion Act

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Dean Arp (R-Union); Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth); Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln); Rep. Jake Johnson (R-Henderson, Polk, Transylvania)

Summary

This bill:

Establishes the Completing Access to Broadband Fund and permits the Secretary of the Department of Information Technology to award grants from the Fund to projects meeting certain specified criteria.
Requires the Broadband Infrastructure Office in the Department of Technology to award fixed wireless and satellite broadband grants to eligible broadband service providers for subscriptions to unserved households as follows: (1) up to $1,100 for each satellite broadband subscription, or up to $700 for each fixed wireless subscription, providing broadband speeds of 50 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload, or greater and (2) up to $700 for each satellite broadband subscription, or up to $500 for each wireless subscription, providing less than 50 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload.
Makes various changes to the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program.
Appropriates $400M for the 2021-2022 fiscal year from the funds received by the State pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to the Completing Access to Broadband Fund in the Department of Technology.
Appropriates $12M for the 2021-2022 fiscal year from the funds received by the State pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology Fund for fixed wireless and satellite broadband grants.
Appropriates $340M for the 2021-2022 fiscal year from the funds received by the State pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology Fund for broadband infrastructure grants.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 929 – North Carolina Medical Cannabis Act

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Kelly Alexander, Jr. (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford); Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg); Rep. Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg)

Summary

This bill:

Defines “medical use of cannabis” as the acquisition, possession, use, internal possession, delivery, transfer, or transportation of cannabis or paraphernalia relating to the administration of cannabis to treat or alleviate a qualified patient’s medical condition or symptoms associated with the medical condition or its treatment.
Defines “qualified patient” as a person who has been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition.
Defines “written certification” as a statement in a patient’s medical records or a statement signed by a health care provider with whom the patient has a bona fide health care provider-patient relationship indicating that, in the health care provider’s professional opinion, the patient has a medical condition that may benefit from the medical use of cannabis and the potential health benefits of the medical use of cannabis would likely outweigh the health risks for the patient.
States that a qualified patient will not be subject to arrest or penalty for the possession or purchase of cannabis for medical use if the quantity of usable cannabis possessed or purchased does not exceed an adequate supply as determined by the qualified patient’s physician and as long as the patient is in possession of a written certification from a physician.
Protects a health care provider from being subject to arrest, penalty, or disciplinary action by the NC Medical Board for either of the following: (1) advising a patient about the risks and benefits of the medical use of cannabis or that the patient may benefit from the medical use of cannabis if, in the physician’s medical judgment, the potential benefits of the medical use of cannabis would likely outweigh the health risks for that patient, or (2) providing the patient with written certification, based upon the physician’s assessment of the patient’s medical history and current medical condition, that the potential benefits of the medical use of cannabis would likely outweigh the health risks for that patient.
Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt rules for the licensing of persons for the cultivation of medical cannabis and the manufacturing of medical cannabis products.
Prohibits using or consuming medical cannabis while driving a motor vehicle or riding as a passenger in a motor vehicle.
Prohibits the consumption of medical cannabis or offering to another medical cannabis in public places.
Prohibits the possession and consumption of medical cannabis by any person under 18 years of age.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 928 – Opioid Overdose Prev. Pilot Programs/Funds

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson); Rep. Kristin Baker, MD (R-Cabarrus); Rep. Wayne Sasser (R-Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly)

Summary

This bill:

Establishes the Opioid Abatement Fund and requires that all funds received by the State as a beneficiary of the final consent judgment resolving the case, State of North Carolina, ex rel. Joshua Stein, Plaintiff v. McKinsey and Company, Inc., to be deposited into the fund.
Requires that all moneys in the fund be used to (1) cover the costs incurred by the State in investigating and pursuing the claims in this case and (2) remediate the harms caused to the State and its citizens by the opioid epidemic.
Appropriates $4M in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year from the Opioid Abatement Fund to the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services to be used to support the establishment and operation of a one-year opioid overdose prevention pilot program that serves the purpose of education the public about opioid use disorder and overdose through public service announcements and the dissemination of other educational materials to the public.
Authorizes DHHS to explore the possibility of public-private partnerships to accomplish the purpose of the pilot program.

Movement

Filed – 5/11/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 914 – Support Our Direct Care Workforce

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. William Brisson (R-Bladen, Sampson); Rep. Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson); Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth); Rep. Wayne Sasser (R-Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly)

Summary

This bill:

Directs DHHS to provide a rate increase to the following Medicaid providers for services related to the provision of direct care to Medicaid beneficiaries: (1) providers who provide services through certain specified Medicaid waiver programs; (2) personal care services providers; (3) intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities; (4) home health providers; (5) nursing homes; and (6) behavioral health residential facilities.
Requires any provider receiving a rate increase to use at least 80% of the funding to increase the wages paid to its direct care employees.
Requires DHHS to adjust the per member per month capitation amount paid to local management entities/managed care organizations and to prepaid health plans to include amounts sufficient to implement the same rate increase for providers paid by the LME/MCO or PHP.
Appropriates $160M in recurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and $160M in recurring funds for the 2022-2023 fiscal year to be used to implement the rate increase.
Permits the Division of Health Benefits to recoup par of all of the funds related to the rate increase if the Division determines the provider did not use at least 80% of the funds to increase the wages paid to its direct care employees.

Movement

Filed – 5/10/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 909 – Legionnaires’ Disease Prevention Act

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Brian Turner (D-Buncombe)

Summary

This bill requires DHHS to instruct owners and operators of certain buildings and facilities that they are required to establish and operate a water management plan that includes validation testing of water to minimize the growth and transmission of Legionella pneumophila in the covered building’s water system consistent with standards of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

This bill also requires owners/operators of covered buildings/facilities to conduct Legionella pneumophila culture sampling and analysis of the building’s water system if DHHS determines that one or more cases of Legionnaires’ disease are, or may be associated with, the building or for any other conditions specified in rules developed by DHHS.

This bill authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality to instruct each owner and operator of a public water system to (1) assess the risk of Legionella pneumophila in the public water system, (2) implement any necessary mitigations, and (3) implement routine sampling and testing of the public water system for the presence of Legionella pneumophila bacteria.

This bill also appropriates $100K in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year and $100K in nonrecurring funds for the 2022-2023 fiscal year to the Department of Environmental Quality to be used to conduct testing of the public water system for the presence of Legionella pneumophila bacteria.

Movement

Filed – 5/10/2021

by NCMS Intern

HB 908 – Access to Affordable Health Coverage for All

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. Cecil Brockman (D-Guilford); Rep. Verla Insko (D-Orange)

Summary

This bill creates a refundable premium tax credit that is (1) designed to help eligible individuals afford health insurance purchased through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, or the health Benefits Exchange, and (2) modeled after the federal refundable premium tax credit for purchasing health insurance on the Exchange, as provided for under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

To be eligible for the premium tax credit, this bill requires State residents to meet the following minimum requirements: (1) the individual has a modified adjusted gross income that is below 100% of the federal poverty level; (2) the individual is at least 19 years old and under age 65; (3) the individual is not entitled to or enrolled in Medicare benefits under Part A or Part B of Title XVIII of the federal Social Security Act; (4) the individual is not eligible for Medicaid coverage or NC Health Choice coverage under the NC State Plan that provides minimum essential coverage; (5) the individual is not eligible for coverage under TRICARE; (6) the individual is not able to obtain affordable coverage through an eligible employer-sponsored plan that provides minimum value and minimum essential coverage.

This bill also directs the Secretary of DHHS and the Secretary of the Department of Revenue to design a program to implement the State premium tax credit that does both of the following: (1) estimates the amount of State premium tax credit that an individual will be eligible for in a given tax year, and (2) allows an individual to direct any amount of the estimated State premium tax credit be paid in advance directly to an insurance company offering health benefit plans in this State on the Exchange.

This bill also appropriates $100K in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year to DHHS and $100K in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year to the Department of Revenue for the purposes of designing a program to implement the State premium tax credit.

Movement

Filed – 5/10/2021

by NCMS Intern