Senate amendments make the following changes to the 5th edition, as amended.

Part V. General Provisions

Section 5.10 Project Reserve Allocations

Amendment #26 directs the Office of State Budget and Management to allocate the following amounts from funds appropriated to the Project Reserve in the General Fund by the act: (1) $2.5 million to the Department of Commerce to provide 1:1 matching grants to nonprofits to fund the planning and construction of affordable housing projects; (2) $1 million to Hoke County for the construction of a courthouse annex; (3) $100,000 to the Town of Huntersville to study and abate the cause of frequent cases of ocular melanoma; (4) $1.74 million to the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to local communities for the Department to use to inform and develop a community resilience task force and plan of action based on a community trauma needs assessment and community engagement; and (5) $3 million to NC Central University to fund laboratory equipment and instruments. Directs the Department of Commerce to develop guidelines and procedures for the affordable housing grant program's administration and requires the Department to report to the specified NCGA committee and division by May 1, 2020, on the program, as specified. Directs that any unmatched funds allocated to the Department of Commerce for the affordable housing program reverts to the General Fund on June 30, 2021. Makes conforming adjustments to the Project Reserve funds.

Part VIII. The UNC System

Section 8.16 Establish the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Advisory Board

Amendment #24 establishes a 17-member Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Advisory Board (Board), housed in the UNC System Office, to study the strategies and actions that can be taken to increase the rates of enrollment, retention, and graduation for the HBCUs that are constituent institutions of UNC. Sets forth membership of the Board, appointed by the General Assembly and the Governor, requiring at least nine of the appointees to have attended or graduated from one of the HBCUs in the UNC System. Provides for Board meetings, member vacancies, administration, and member expenses. Specifically requires the Board to study HBCU funding disparities, as described. Directs the Board to submit its preliminary findings to the UNC Board of Governors and the specified NCGA committee by December 15, 2020, and a final report by March 15, 2021. Terminates the Board upon the earlier of the submission of the final report or March 15, 2021.

Part XI. Commerce

Section 11.9 Funds for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Pipeline-East

Amendment #28 transfers $500,000 in nonrecurring funds for the 2019-20 fiscal year from the Film and Entertainment Grant Fund to the Department of Commerce to support activities and time-limited positions to develop a regional partnership to enhance advanced manufacturing recruitment in eastern North Carolina through the Regional Advanced Manufacturing Pipeline-East Initiative. Makes conforming adjustments. 

Part XV. Administrative Office of the Courts

Section 15.12 Restore Administrative Positions/Supreme Court

Amendment #23 retains the positions of Supreme Court Administrative Council, Research Assistant II and Supreme Court Staff Attorney, as identified, by position number, moving $266,953 from Administration to the Appellate Courts for the 2019-21 fiscal biennium. Eliminates three Applications Analyst Programmer III positions, as identified, from the Administrative Office of the Courts. Makes conforming adjustments.

Section 15.13 Funding for Additional DA Investigator

Amendment #25 increases the appropriations for District Attorneys by $78,087 in recurring funds and FTE in both years of the fiscal biennium, and $3,865 in nonrecurring funds for the 2019-20 fiscal year, to be used to fund an additional District Attorney Investigator Position for Prosecutorial District 7, which consists of Bertie, Halifax, Hertford, and Northampton counties. Makes conforming reductions to the funds appropriated for Special Assistant United States Attorneys. Makes further conforming changes.

Part XXXIX. Capital

Section 39.2 Capital Improvements and Repairs and Renovations Appropriations

Amendment #26 adds HVAC System and Chiller at Elizabeth City State University and Dormitory Demolition and Removal at Fayetteville State University to the specified projects assigned codes for legislative project support for future fiscal years, and assigns the codes specified total project authorizations for each year, ranging from $2 million to $4 million each fiscal year of the 2019-20 biennium. Reduces the Project Reserve in the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund by $8.5 million in nonrecurring funds for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Makes conforming adjustments.

Senate committee substitute, as amended, makes various changes to the 4th edition. We will not be including a summary of the Appropriations Act. For the content of the bill, please follow the View NCGA Bill Details link. Further information on the budget, including the committee report, can be found on the “News” section of the General Assembly’s website at: https://www.ncleg.gov/News. 

House amendments to the 3rd edition make the following changes.

Part II. Current Operations and Expansion/General Fund

Section 2.2 General Fund Availability

Amendment #21 corrects the budget code for VIPER, Department of Public Safety. 

Part V. General Provisions

Section 5.7 2020 Census Preparation Reserve

Amendment #21 requires that $400,000 for 2019-20 be transferred from the OSHR Minimum of Market Reserve and $350,000 for 2019-20 be transferred from the Pending Legislation Reserve, to the 2020 Census Preparation Reserve created in this section. Requires those funds to be managed by OSBE and used for material and outreach related to statewide preparation for the 2020 US Census.

Part VII. Public Instruction

Section 7.19 Upstart Virtual Early Learning Pilot Program

Amendment #20 eliminates Section 7.19, which established a three-year virtual early learning pilot program.

Section 7.36 School Safety Grants Programs

Amendment #20 moves $1 million appropriated by the act to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for the 2019-20 fiscal year for the virtual early learning pilot (as eliminated) to the students in crisis grants. Makes conforming adjustments. 

Section 7.39 School Mental Health Support Personnel Report

Amendment #19 adds a new section enacting GS 115C-318.1 requiring the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to report annually by March 31 on the most recent available data on (1) the number of school counselors, school nurses, school social workers, and school psychologists employed in each local school administrative unit, (2) the ratio of students to each of those positions, and (3) the source of funding for each of those positions to the specified NCGA committees.

Section 7.39 Scotland County High School Air Rifle Range

Amendment #22 adds a new section reducing the funds appropriated to DPI for the Competency-Based mathematics education Pilot Program in 2019-20 by $200,000 in nonrecurring funds. Increases the funds appropriated to DPI by that same amount to be allocated to Scotland County Schools to build an air rifle range at Scotland County High School.

Part VIII. The University of North Carolina System

Section 8.11 Funds/College of Health Sciences at UNC Pembroke

Amendment #10 adds Section 8.11 to increase the funds appropriated to the Board of Governors for UNC-Pembroke by $1.1 million in recurring funds for 2019-20 and an additional $1 million for 2020-21 to support program development and operating budgets for expanded programs and additional programs for its College of Health Sciences. Restricts the use of funds to necessary faculty, staff, and equipment for the programs. Makes a corresponding decrease in funds. Moves the specified funds appropriated to the Board of Governors for data analytics for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years, as specified. Makes conforming adjustments. 

Part IX-B. Central Management and Support

Amendment #21 moves Section 9B.9, Strengthen Child Fatality Prevention System, to Section 9G.10.

Part IX-D. Health Benefits

Section 9D.10 Expand North Carolina Innovation Waiver Slots

Amendment #9 adds the requirement that the Division of Health Benefits (DHB) convene a workgroup to address the registry of unmet needs of the North Carolina Innovations waiver. Requires the workgroup to develop a ten-year plan to provide continual funding for the Innovations waiver program to address those unmet needs. Requires the plan to be submitted to the specified NCGA committee by October 1, 2020.

Section 9D.10 Expand North Carolina Innovations Waiver Slots

Amendment #18 directs the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), DHB to develop a plan to provide additional funding for the Innovations waiver program and to address the registry of unmet needs. Directs DHB to submit a copy of its plan to the specified NCGA committee and division by March 1, 2020.

Section 9D.12A Increase in Reimbursement for Primary Care Providers

Amendment #7 adds Section 9D.12A to direct DHHS, DHB, to increase the reimbursement for the evaluation and management codes that are paid to primary care physicians, including obstetricians, gynecologists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, and contained in the specified State Plan Amendment. 

Section 9D.15A Medicaid Transformation Hotline Option

Amendment #34 adds a new section requiring DHHS to ensure that the existing DHHS Customer Service hotline is responsive to questions posed by a Medicaid beneficiary or provider or by the general public related to the rollout of Medicaid Transformation during 2019-20. 

Part IX-I. Social Services

Section 9I.10 Successful Transition/Foster Care Youth

Amendment #28 amends the strategies that the Foster Care Transitional Living Initiative Fund (Fund) is to support by providing that the Public-Private Partnership strategy is a commitment by private-sector funding partners to match at least 25% (was, 50%) of the funds appropriated to the Fund for the 2019-21 biennium to provide Transition Living Services through the Youth Villages Transitional Living Model.

Part XI. Commerce

Section 11.5 NC Biotechnology Center

Amendment #6 reduces the appropriation for 2019-20 to the Department of Commerce that is to be allocated to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for the specified purposes. Increases the amount that is to be used in 2019-20 for AgBiotech Initiative, economic and industrial development, and related activities, and reduces the amount that is to be used in 2019-20 for science and technology development, Centers of Innovation, and related activities.

Part XV. Administrative Office of the Courts

Section 15.7 Innovative Court Pilot Project/Raise the Age Administrative Support Funds

Amendment #13 adds Section 15.7 to direct the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to provide $130,000 in nonrecurring funds from the funds appropriated to it by the act for each fiscal year of the 2019-21 fiscal biennium to Robeson County as a grant-in-aid to be used for an innovative court pilot project. Directs AOC to report the results of the pilot project to the specified NCGA committee by March 1, 2020. Moves $130,000 appropriated for Raise the Age Administrative Support for each year of the 2019-20 fiscal biennium to AOC Administration, as specified. Makes conforming adjustments.

Part XVII. Justice

Section 18.5A Funds for North Carolina Victims Assistance Network

Amendment #27 adds Section 18.5A to direct the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to provide $150,000 in nonrecurring funds for fiscal year 2019-20 to the NC Victims Assistance Network as a grant-in-aid from the funds appropriated to DPS in the act as specified. Moves $150,000 appropriated in the act for Raise the Age Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils in recurring funds for fiscal year 2019-20 to DPS in nonrecurring funds for the 2019-20 fiscal year, as specified. Makes conforming adjustments. 

Part XXXVIII. Salaries and Benefits

Section 38.1 Elective State-funded Employees Awarded Legislative Salary Increases/Effective January 1, 2020

Amendment #21 makes a clarifying change.

Section 38.7A Judicial Compensation Changes

Amendment #24 adds Section 38.7A, directing that of the funds appropriated to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for Trial Court Administrator salary adjustments, 5% increases are to be awarded to the 11 specified classifications, effective January 1, 2020, including certain court coordinators and judicial assistants. Directs that $30,000 of the funds available in the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) Minimum Market reserve, and $357,000 of the funds available to the Pay Plan Reserve in recurring funds for the 2020-21 fiscal year, be provided to AOC to support the pay increases. Directs AOC to study providing an experience-based salary schedule to these employees and report to the specified NCGA committee on February 1, 2020.

Section 38.20 Department of Transportation

Amendment #16 deletes this section of the act, which concerned raises for DMV employees, shortened the time frame of the pilot program under which employees of the Department of Transportation (DOT) who voluntarily relinquished annual longevity payments and any claim to career status or eligibility for career status were exempt from specified HR provisions, made DOT employees who received salary adjustments under the pilot program ineligible for salary increases, and prohibited delegating to DOT any classification or salary administration functions.

Part XL. Transportation

Section 40.24 DOT Employee Benefits

Amendment #21 adds a section that allocates $4,958,881 for 2019-20 and $14,902,985 of funds appropriated to the Highway Fund, Reserves, Transfers, and Other in the specified amounts for increased employer costs of the health benefit coverage for active employees using the State Health Plan, for the actuarially determined contribution and increased retiree medical premiums and a 1% one-time cost of living supplement to retirees in FY 2020-21, and for the payment of short-term disability benefits. Makes conforming changes in Part III.