The 2017 long session of the North Carolina General Assembly has started! This past Wednesday at noon, our elected officials reconvened in Raleigh to begin regular operations of the House and Senate.
Bill Filing Begins; First Health Care Bill Filed
The process of bill filing has opened. Twenty-five bills were filed in the House this week and 15 in the Senate. At this stage in the session, we tend to track all bills that affect, or might be modified to affect, health care. The only bill filed this week relating to health care is HB 11, “Handicap Parking Privilege Certification.” The primary sponsors of this bill include Rep. Gale Adcock (D – Wake), Rep. Josh Dobson (R – Avery), Rep. Jon Hardister (R – Guilford), and Rep. Carla Cunningham (D – Mecklenburg). The NCMS supports this bill, which   allows a licensed physician assistant to certify that a patient needs a distinguishing handicap license plate, removable windshield placard or temporary removable windshield placard.
House Bill 11 can be found here.
Quick Review on the Process of Bill Filing:
There are different sets of bill filling deadlines in the House and Senate.
Senate:

  • Local bills and resolutions must be filed by 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 15.
  • Public bills must be filled by Thursday, March 30.

House:

  • Bills recommended by study commissions are required to be filed by Wednesday, March 1. Bills recommended by state agencies are due by Wednesday, March 15.
  • Bills  designated as local have a due date of Wednesday, March 29.
  •  Public bills that will not need to go to the Appropriations or Finance Committees are due Wednesday, April 2.
  • The deadline for all draft public bills that must go through Appropriations or Finance Committees are due Wednesday, April 19.

Finally, all bills must “crossover,” by April 27 meaning the bill must  pass out of the chamber in which it was introduced in order to move forward for consideration in  the other chamber.  The only exception to the crossover deadline are bills that include an appropriation or fee.
Survey Shows Primary Care Physicians Do Not Want ACA Repealed
Just this week, The New England Journal of Medicine published new findings from a survey of 426 physicians revealing that most primary care physicians do not want the ACA repealed. Read the article here. An earlier survey conducted between January and March 2015 showed that physicians were split on their opinion of the ACA with 48 percent in favor of the law and 52 percent with an unfavorable view of the law.  The latest survey, however, shows that only 15 percent of primary care physicians support full repeal of the ACA now. It remains unknown what  portions of the legislation could  be modified and what might be  completely repealed. The  survey resultsreflect the hesitation primary care physicians currently have about changing the law.
The link to a summary of the survey results can be found here.
Know Who Chairs the Key Committees — They Could Be From Your Community
All committee chairs and committee members were announced this week. We’ve listed the chairs to a few of the key committees below, as well as links to the full membership.   Look for your local legislator to see if they are a member or chair   one of these important committees. Be sure to cultivate a relationship with them now, and throughout session. A few of the  committees we regularly monitor   include the following:
Senate:
Appropriations/Base Budget – Co-chairs are Sen. Harry Brown (R -Onslow), Sen. Kathy Harrington (R – Gaston) and Sen. Brent Jackson (R – Sampson) [Note:  The budget for 2017-2018 originates in the Senate].
Finance – Co-chairs are Sen. Andrew Brock (R-Davie), Sen. Jerry Tillman (R–Randolph), and Sen. Tommy Tucker (R – Union).
Rules and Operations of the Senate – Chair is Sen. Bill Rabon (R – Brunswick).
Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services –Chairs include Sen. Ralph Hise (R – Madison), Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R – Forsyth), and Sen. Louis Pate (R – Pitt).
Health Care Chairs include Sen. Ralph Hise (R – Madison), Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R – Forsyth), and Sen. Louis Pate (R – Pitt).
House:
Appropriations – Senior Chair is Rep. Nelson Dollar (R -Wake); Chairs include Rep. Dean Arp (R -Union), Rep. John Faircloth (R – Guilford), Rep. Linda Johnson (R -Cabarrus), Rep. Donny Lambeth (R – Forsyth), and Rep. Chuck McGrady (R -Henderson).
Appropriations, Health and Human Services — Chairs are Rep. William Brisson (D– Bladen), Rep. Josh Dobson (R– Avery) , Rep. Chris Malone (R- Wake), Rep. Greg Murphy (R – Pitt).
Health – Chairs are Rep. Justin Burr (R– Montgomery), Rep. Josh Dobson (R- Avery), Rep. Bert Jones, Rep. Donny Lambeth (R – Forsyth), Rep. Greg Murphy (R – Pitt).
Finance – Chairs are Reps. William Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) and Rep. Jason Saine (R – Lincoln).
Rules – Chair is Rep. David Lewis (R) -Harnett;
Again, please use this blog and the Bow Tie Briefings to stay connected to what’s happening weekly at the General Assembly!