NC House Budget
House Appropriations subcommittees are meeting today to unveil their individual area budgets for the upcoming state fiscal year.  Members for Appropriations subcommittees on Health and Human Services, Transportation, Education, Justice and Public Safety, Capital, and Information Technology will receive budget overviews from their respective committee chairs and legislative staff.  These meetings are held in advance of a full House Appropriations meeting expected next week, after which the House version of the budget will be to the floor for a vote.  There is no official word as to when the Senate will release their proposed budget, but it will be before June 30th.  Governor Cooper’s budget proposal was submitted to the legislature in March.

Medicaid Expansion

In a roundtable meeting with rural hospital executives this week, NC Governor Roy Cooper and his DHHS Secretary, Dr. Mandy Cohen, said NC House leadership is withholding a vote on a bill related to the expansion of Medicaid.  Cooper and Cohen urged the medical leaders to contact their local House members and strongly advocate for a committee vote on HB655, “NC Health Care for Working Families.”  The bill, filed by Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), is being referred to by many as a modified expansion plan.  It includes work requirements, premiums and co-pays that some Democrats have opposed. However, the proposed legislation does have bipartisan sponsorship.  House Majority Leader John Bell said the topic of Medicaid expansion hasn’t even been broached in Caucus this session, including any discussion of HB655.   
https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/governor-welcomes-rural-health-care-leaders-to-discuss-medicaid-expansion#.XMMLB2yP63A

Update: Rural Broadband

As reported last week, SB310, a bill that would remove restrictions prohibiting electric co-ops and their subsidiaries from seeking federal grant funds to provide broadband services, passed successfully through the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee.  “Electric Co-Op Broadband Services” The Senate bill, which would eliminate some of the regulations that until now have kept electric co-ops from utilizing their existing power lines and fiber networks to provide high-speed internet, particularly in rural areas of the state, is now awaiting a hearing in Senate Judiciary.  But, a House companion bill filed under the same name, HB387, faced some constitutional concerns in the House Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Thursday.  Of specific concern by several members and the non-partisan legislative staff, is the constitutionality of a provision in the bill that would limit class action lawsuits over the use of existing easements for broadband.  The issue of removing that provision was debated, but bill sponsor, Rep. Dean Arp (R-Union) argued that removal of the provision would “basically gut the bill.”  HB387 passed Energy and Public Utilities with a favorable report and was referred to House Judiciary.
https://dashboard.ncleg.net/api/Services/BillSummary/2019/H387-SMRI-14(e2)-v-2

Legislative Schedule

While the House returned to work on Thursday, the Senate remains on spring break through the weekend.  The legislature will be in full swing again starting Monday, April 29th.   The official Crossover date is still scheduled for May 9th, although word has been spreading that the date will move up to either May 6th or 7th.  Stay tuned!