April 3, 2020
We are hearing so much information regarding COVID-19 from the Governor, NC DHHS, counties and schools. We haven’t heard as much from the NC General Assembly. They are scheduled to return for the short session on April 28th. There has been some discussion around the State that they may call a special session to specifically address the State’s response to COVID-19. So far, they have not indicated that there will be a special session.
There are a number of legislative actions that organizations are dependent upon. Certain federal funds cannot be tapped into without legislative authority. There is financial assistance needed that will keep organizations such as hospitals viable as they shoulder additional costs to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other resources.
Other state legislatures have acted to address issues such as insurance coverage, unemployment benefits, and eligibility for public services. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, eight states have already passed legislation to support their state’s response to COVID-19. 23 states and the District of Columbia have both pending and enacted legislation, and another four states have pending legislation related to COVID-19. North Carolina is one of 15 states that has yet to pass any legislation to address the pandemic.
See below for the NC House and Senate responses to date.
House:
The NC House has established a Select Committee on COVID-19. They have broken the Committee into four work groups: Health Care, Education, Continuity of State (including emergency services, elections and public safety) and Economic Support. The Work Groups are meeting once a week. NC DHHS Secretary Cohen provided an update and review on April 2nd. Many of the organizations that have spoken are providing their recommendations for actions by the legislature in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The House has also created a comment portal that North Carolinians can use to submit their recommendations for the legislative response to COVID-19.
Senate:
In a joint statement between Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and Minority Leader Senator Dan Blue, they indicated that the Senators have been asked to “reach out to their community to compile specific ideas for how we can respond…Senators and staff are well-equipped to take those suggestions and create a relief package that will be considered promptly when the General Assembly returns.”
For more information on the status of individual states, GovPredict has posted a free resource with links to the legislation related to COVID-19 passed by states.