AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE STATUTES REGULATING ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS TO ENABLE LICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS EMPLOYED BY SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND NONPROFITS TO MAKE REPAIRS AND CONDUCT MAINTENANCE AT ALL FACILITIES AT ALL TIMES WHEN DONE AT THE DIRECTION OF THE SCHOOL, HOSPITAL, OR NONPROFIT. SL 2019-78. Enacted July 4, 2019. Effective July 4, 2019.

AN ACT TO CLARIFY STATE AGENCIES' OBLIGATIONS TO REFRAIN FROM INTERFERENCE WITH STATE EMPLOYEES' DUTY TO REPORT VIOLATIONS OF STATE OR FEDERAL LAW, FRAUD, MISAPPROPRIATION OF STATE RESOURCES, AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL IMPROPRIETIES; AND MAKE OTHER CHANGES TO FOSTER GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTABILITY TO PREVENT VIOLATIONS OF STATE OR FEDERAL LAW, FRAUD, MISAPPROPRIATION OF STATE RESOURCES, AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL IMPROPRIETIES. SL 2019-80. Enacted July 4, 2019. Effective July 4, 2019.

House committee substitute to the 3rd edition makes the following changes.

Enacts new GS 147-69.6A establishing the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Trust Fund as a special fund in the Office of the State Treasurer under the Treasurer's management. Provides that the Fund consists of funds received by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina for the sale or lease of natural resources from the property described as Parcel 1 in SL 2013-186 and the interest and other investment income earned by the Fund. Allows assets in the Fund to be disbursed only to the Lumbee Tribal Administration for (1) payment of property taxes on the property, upon receipt of a property tax bill or (2) the reforestation of the property under the supervision of a consulting forester, upon receipt of an invoice for the services of the consulting forester or the purchase and installation of seedlings or saplings. 

Amends Section 4 of the act to require that the funds received from the sale or lease of natural resources from the property described as parcel 1 in SL 2013-186 be deposited into the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Trust Fund, instead of into an escrow account and limits the uses of those funds to the conditions of that Trust Fund. Removes the reporting requirement. 

Amends GS 147-69.2 (Investments authorized for special funds held by State Treasurer) to make the statute applicable to funds held by the State Treasurer to the credit of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Trust Fund.

Makes conforming changes to the act's long title.

AN ACT TO REPEAL THE TUITION SURCHARGE IMPOSED BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS ON STUDENTS WHO TAKE MORE THAN 140 DEGREE CREDIT HOURS TO COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE IN A FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM OR MORE THAN 110% OF THE CREDIT HOURS TO COMPLETE A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE IN A FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM. SL 2019-68. Enacted July 1, 2019. Effective July 1, 2019, and applies beginning with the 2019-20 academic year.

House committee substitute to the 3rd edition makes the following changes. 

Amends GS 150B-1(e) further by also exempting from the contested case provisions of GS Chapter 150B the State Board of Education with respect to the renewal of charters under GS Chapter 115C, Article 14A. 

House committee substitute to the 3rd edition makes the following changes. 

Repeals Section 24(a) of SL 2016-125, which amended GS 97-77, to establish the term for an appointment to fill a vacancy on the NC Industrial Commission (Commission) to be six years plus the remainder of the unexpired term (was, the remainder of the unexpired term), and to establish four-year terms and vacancy procedures for the Commission's chairman and vice-chairman.

Makes conforming changes to the act's long title. 

House committee substitute to the 4th edition makes the following changes. 

Amends GS 105-164.13 to establish a sales and use tax exemption for sales of diapers or incontinence underpads on prescription by an enrolled State Medicaid/HealthChoice provider for use by beneficiaries of the State Medicaid program when the provider is reimbursed by the State Medicaid Program or a Medicaid managed care organization, as defined by specified federal law. Amends GS 105-164.3 to define diaper and incontinence underpad. Applies to sales occurring on or after October 1, 2019.

Further amends GS 105-113.40, modifying the terminology to require every person required to be licensed under Article 2A (rather than wholesale dealers and retail dealers) to keep complete and accurate records of all purchases, inventories, sales, shipments, and deliveries of tobacco products.

House amendments to the 5th edition make the following changes.

Part I. State and Local Government Regulation

Amendment #2 further amends GS 143-215.107A to also exclude Rockingham County from vehicle emissions inspections (previously, excluded Onslow County only).

Part III. Miscellaneous Regulatory Reform Provisions 

Amendment #1 makes the following changes to Part III.

Amends the proposed changes to GS 83A-13 to exempt from architectural license requirements institutional or commercial buildings having a total value not exceeding $200,000 (previously, $175,000; $90,000 under current law). Makes conforming changes. 

Adds new Section 27.5 as follows. 

Amends GS 83A-2, making technical changes regarding the member appointments to the NC Board of Architecture (Board) to delete obsolete language. Additionally, requires public notice of the Board's annual meeting to be published for at least two weeks on the Board's website, rather than published at least once each week for two weeks in one or more newspapers in general circulation in the state.

Amends GS 83A-5 to require the Board to maintain and publish a roster of all architects and architectural firms holding current licenses from the Board, with copies filed with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General only (was, published at least once a year with copies also filed with other applicable State or local agencies and upon request, distributed or sold to the public). Now authorizes the Board to make the roster available on the Board's website.

Amends GS 83A-7. Modifies the qualifications for application for examination (rather than qualifications for registration) as a duly licensed architect, now requiring practical training and experience as specified by Board rules (previously, specified at least three years of such experience), and the successful completion of an accredited master or bachelor degree in architecture as specified by Board rules (previously, generally required professional education). Maintains the requirement for successful completion of a licensure examination in architecture. Concerning licensing by reciprocity, requires an individual to hold a certified record (was, a certificate of qualification) issued by the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) in addition to holding a current architect license from another state or territory. Specifies that the Board's authority to waive the NCARB certified record requirement  is in the Board's discretion. 

Amends GS 83A-11 to specify that license renewal applications be transmitted, rather than mailed, as previously specified.

Amendment #3 modifies the proposed changes to GS 20-79.1A(a)(1) to require a dealer to notify a purchaser of any outstanding civil penalties, fees, tolls, and obligations owed that are of record and known to the dealer at the time the dealer applies for a title to a motor vehicle and a registration plate (previously, did not specify the outstanding obligations be of record and known by the dealer at the time of application).

House committee substitute to the 3rd edition makes the following changes.

Part II.

Amends GS 62-133A as adding that if an electric public utility operating under a banding of authorized returns exceeds the midpoint return on equity up to the high-end range of the band approved by the Utilities Commission (Commission) based on its normalized, earned return on equity for the prior 12-month, year-end period as specified in the statute, the utility must determine the after-tax dollar value of the amount of the earnings that exceed the midpoint return on equity up to the high-end range of the band and must, within 60 days of determining that value, submit the value to the Commission for verification along with a petition to the Commission to make investments of an equivalent amount in one or more of: (1) electric infrastructure investments in economically distressed areas or low-income communities that facilitate job creation, (2) electric infrastructure investments that further creation of affordable housing for low-income customers, (3) electric infrastructure investments in communities that will result in quantifiable and measurable benefits for low-income customers in those communities, or (4) energy efficiency and demand-side management programs for low-income customers. Sets out information that must be included in the petition as to the selected investments as well as those that were considered. If approved, requires the Commission to include the costs of the approved investments in the electric public utility's cost of service or rate base, as appropriate. Provides that if a petition is denied, the utility must, within 60 days of the Commission's order, submit a new petition for investments in compliance with the requirements above. Makes organizational and clarifying changes to the statute.