HB 196 – 2021 COVID-19 Response & Relief

Primary House Sponsors: Rep. John Faircloth (R-Guilford); Rep. Dana Bumgardner (R-Gaston); Rep. Kyle Hall (R-Rockingham, Stokes, Surry); Rep. Larry Strickland (R-Harnett, Johnston)

Summary

This bill:

  • Appropriates $10M to be allocated to public school units participating in a federal school nutrition program for school nutrition services provided in response to COVID-19.
  • Appropriates $335,912,393 from federal Child Care and Development Block Grant funds to DHHS for cleaning/sanitation and copayment assistance for families received subsidized childcare and encourages DHHS to use some of the funds to address early childhood education learning loss.
  • Appropriates $47,465,800 from federal Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funds to DHHS for mental health services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with $2,100,000 of these funds to be allocated for the NC Statewide Telepsychiatry Program.
  • Appropriates $11,249,046 from federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant funds to DHHS to provide services across the State to those in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Allocates federal funds to DHHS with $84M to be allocated to local health departments and $15M to be allocated to the NC Policy Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill to meet specific requirements of the Emerging and Infection Disease Program Enhancing Detection Expansion cooperative agreement, and to develop and manage a plan for an initiative to implement alternative COVID-19 surveillance methods throughout the State.
  • Directs DHHS to allocate up to $3M to the Department of Information Technology from the COVID-19 Vaccine Preparedness grant funds to be used only for integration of the NC COVID Vaccine Management System with the statewide health information exchange network and to add functionality to both system and the network.
  • Extends the temporarily increased fee-for-service Medicaid rates expiration to the earlier of (1) the date the declared nationwide public health emergency expires, (2) the date Executive Order No. 116 expires or is rescinded, or (3) June 30, 2021.
  • Authorizes an immunizing pharmacist to administer a long-acting injectable medication to adults pursuant to a specific prescription order by a prescriber if the pharmacist maintains specified records of administration in a patient record and notifies the patient primary care provider within 72 hours of administration.
  • Revises the definition of “health care provider” as used in the COVID-19 health care provider liability provision to include any individual who volunteers to assist a State agency, department, or approved organization in the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations, including clinical, clinical support, and nonclinical support activities.
  • Requires DHHS to give each prepaid health plan access to client-specific immunization information contained within the North Carolina Immunization Registry.

Movement

Filed – 3/1/2021