North Carolina’s 170-member General Assembly kicked off its 2015 legislative session at noon last Wednesday, and soon the first two dozen substantive bills of the year had been filed. The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) Government Affairs team will be monitoring and tracking hundreds of bills over the course of the session. Watch the Bulletin and the NCMS website for information on bills of importance to you and your practice. As the session progresses, keep your eyes open for NCMS Email Alerts. Well-timed calls and emails to your senator or representative on crucial issues can have a big impact.
Governor Pat McCrory is scheduled to return tonight, Feb. 4, to deliver his “State of the State” address in what will be a crowded House chamber. Like McCrory, large majorities in both chambers are Republican – 34 of 50 senators, with 16 Democrats; and 74 of 120 representatives, with 45 Democrats and one independent. The Senate has seven freshmen, the House 17. This year’s biennial “long session” is expected to last into the summer, perhaps with a July adjournment.
If you would like to be part of the excitement at the Legislature, consider signing up for a White Coat Wednesday. Throughout the session, the NCMS hosts briefing breakfasts at the NCMS Center for Leadership in Medicine, just down the block from the General Assembly. After becoming familiar with the issues under discussion that day, our Government Affairs staffers will escort you to the Legislative Building where you can visit your representatives to discuss how pending legislation may affect your practice. To learn more, contact Chip Baggett, Director of Legislative Relations or call him at 919-833-3836 x110.
