This past weekend, the NC General Assembly passed S.B. 704 (COVID-19 Recovery Act) and H.B. 1043 (2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act). Both pieces of legislation address the first phase of our state's response to the COVID-19 epidemic. H.B. 1043 addresses our state's initial economic package while S.B. 704 provides numerous policy changes and enacts flexibility for current rules and procedures. 

After a long week of negotiations between legislative bodies and leaders from both parties, the consensus agreement created a 1.57 billion dollar spending package to assist all industries and citizens across the state.

The details of both bills are as follows:
$50 million for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
$150 million to all Counties- $250,000 base to each county, to start

Expected County Total: 
$821,312 to Sampson County
$2,706,278 to Johnston County
$759,388 to Duplin County

Policy Changes:
•    Allows marriage certificates, other notary services, and oaths to be issued remotely.
•    Waives interest payments on state income and business taxes
•    Waives end-of-year K-12 testing requirements and school performance grades
•    Waives interest on outstanding UNC System student debt and tuition
•    Provides school calendar flexibility
•    Streamlines emergency unemployment benefits
•    Waives teacher and school administrator licensing requirements

Extends DMV License and Registration Expiration Dates for 5 Months

The new law also authorizes the DMV to waive any penalties for a late registration renewal during the extension period. Customers who already paid a $15 fee for a late renewal in March or April will be reimbursed. The five-month extension applies to any credential that expires on or after March 1, and before August 1. For a full list of extensions, click here. 

Additional Appropriations:

$70 million for State Government operations
$300 million for the Highway Fund Maintenance Reserve
$75 million to the Department of Public Instruction for School Nutrition
$20 million to Local Department of Health and Human Services  
$6 million to Food Banks
$25 million for Testing, Tracing, and Trends
$125 million to the Golden LEAF Foundation for Small Business Loan Assistance Program
$20 million to State agencies 
$100k to Wake Forest University Health Services for COVID-19 research data for future legislative committees
$1 million to the Department of Public Instruction for improving Internet connectivity through extended reach mobile wifi gateway router devices in school buses.
$11 million to the Department of Public Instruction for improving Internet connectivity for students through mobile Internet
access points.
$30 million to the Department of Public Instruction for computers or other electronic devices for use by certain public school
students in response to COVID-19.
$5 million to the Department of Public Instruction for certain public schools to provide computers or other electronic devices for
use by school personnel.
$4.5 million to the Department of Public Instruction to establish a shared cybersecurity infrastructure and district cybersecurity
monitoring and support.
$10 million to the Department of Public Instruction for school health support personnel for physical and mental health support services for students, including remote services.
$70 million to the Department of Public Instruction for certain public schools to provide a supplemental summer learning program
$1.488 million to the Department of Public Instruction for public school units to provide remote instruction.
$3 million to the Department of Public Instruction to provide nondigital remote instruction resources to students with limited connectivity.
$15 million to the Department of Public Instruction for grants to public school units for extraordinary costs of providing Extended School Year Services or future services for exceptional children.
$660,029 to the Department of Public Instruction for the Governor Morehead School for the Blind, the Eastern NC School for the Deaf, and the NC School for the Deaf for school nutrition, cleaning, sanitizing,
remote learning, compensatory services, and Extended School Year Services.
$5 million to the Department of Public Instruction for the Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports Competitive Grant Program.
$25 million to Community Colleges
$44.4 million to the Board Of Governors of UNC for increased costs for online coursework, implementation of digital learning accelerator, providing sanitation and other expenses for ongoing campus operations, covering necessary eligible expenses for students and employees.
$20 million to the Board Of Governors of UNC for postsecondary institutions to transition to online education.
$15 million for the Duke University Human Vaccine Institute to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
$29 million to UNC-Chapel Hill to allocate to the NC Policy Collaboratory for the development of countermeasures, a vaccine, community testing initiatives, and other research to address the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.
$15 million to the Brody School of Medicine at ECU 
$6 million for Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine 
$20 million to Wake Forest University Health Services 
$290k to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, to provide funds for the LINKS program, a foster care support program for youth ages 13-21 years.
$25 million to the Department of Health and Human Services for State-County Special Assistance
$50 million to the Department of Health and Human Services for rural and underserved communities for health provider grants, Medicaid assistance for rural hardship grants, enhanced telehealth services, critical services transportation, health care security for the uninsured.
$5 million for NC Association of Free and Charitable Clinics for the cost of eligible health services provided during COVID-19.
$1.5 million to the Department of Health and Human Services to provide a grant to NC MedAssist 
$5 million to the NC Community Health Centers Association for the cost of eligible health services provided during COVID-19.
$20 million to the Department of Health and Human Services to provide funds to support behavioral health and crisis services.
$19 million to the Department of Health and Human Services to provide for food banks, support for residential settings incurring additional costs to mitigate COVID-19 positive cases, adjust and child protective services response, support for homeless and domestic violence shelters, child care response, NCCARE360, and technology changes to support emergency relief to beneficiaries.
$1.8 million to Old North State Medical Society for rural and African American communities to address COVID-19.
$65 million for a grant to NC Healthcare Foundation for grants to hospitals designated by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services as critical access hospitals or non-critical access rural hospitals to offset response care for COVID-19.
$15 million to establish the COVID-19 Teaching Hospitals Relief Fund for grants to hospitals classified as teaching hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
$15 million to establish the COVID-19 General Hospitals Relief Fund to hospitals not eligible for grants from NCHF or the COVID-19 Teaching Hospitals Relief Fund.
$2.25 million to Division of Social Services (DHHS) for serving children in foster care during the COVID-19 emergency
$15 million to the Department of Agriculture for animal depopulation and disposal.
$5 million to the Department of Commerce for stimulus investment in Visit NC to develop safe travel concepts and strategies and research tools and analysis.
$9 million to the Department of Information Technology for funding the remaining portion of all qualifying GREAT program applications.

Appropriations for our district's hospitals are submitted and calculated by the federal government. Our office should have a more clear understanding of the exact dollar amount each is set to receive within the next week. 

As we know, North Carolinians are hurting. And I believe that this piece of legislation addresses many in need throughout our state. The legislation contains ideas from both parties in both chambers; and the governor. It truly is bi-partisan. We know that this does not fix every issue or solve every problem, but it is a great start. The General Assembly will be back in session later this month and we plan to address outstanding issues through additional future legislation.

Again, I wish everyone a great rest of their week and please continue to stay safe. I am confident we will come out of this situation better than ever before.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you in any way possible.