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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 01-17-23; 6-c - Orange County's Proposed 2023 Legislative Agenda 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 17, 2023 Action Agenda Item No. 6-c SUBJECT: Orange County's Proposed 2023 Legislative Agenda DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford, 245- DRAFT Orange County 2023 Priority 2130 Legislative Issues John Roberts, County Attorney, 245- 2318 Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager, 245-2300 PURPOSE: To: 1) review and discuss the proposed Orange County 2023 Priority Legislative Issues and any other potential items for inclusion in Orange County's legislative agenda package for the 2023 North Carolina General Assembly Session; and 2) Consider approval of the Orange County 2023 Priority Legislative Issues document for submittal to Orange County's legislative delegation. BACKGROUND: Orange County's Legislative Breakfast with Orange County's legislative delegation, in conjunction with the 2023 North Carolina General Assembly session, is scheduled for February 27, 2023. The Board of Commissioners has historically approved a set of legislative issues each year for presentation to/discussion with the delegation. Based on a North Carolina Association of County Commissioners' (NCACC) request in summer 2022 for proposed 2023-24 statewide legislative goals, Commissioner Anna Richards and former Commissioner Renee Price worked with staff on a proposed 2023-24 legislative goals resolution/package. That proposed resolution was then presented to, and approved by, the BOCC in September 2022, and subsequently submitted to NCACC for consideration as part of the organization's 2023-24 Legislative Goals process. With minimal time having passed since the Board approved the September 2022 legislative goals resolution submitted to NCACC, and based on direction from current BOCC Chair Jamezetta Bedford and previous Chair/former Commissioner Price, staff has reformatted the content of the approved resolution into the attached document. It is proposed that the attached document, as may be amended, be approved and presented to Orange County's legislative delegation for the February 27t" Legislative Breakfast meeting. The September 2022 resolution submitted to NCACC highlighted eight legislative issues, all of which are reformatted into the proposed attached document for Board consideration. 2 FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with reviewing and approving Orange County's Proposed 2023 Legislative Agenda. SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated with reviewing and approving Orange County's Proposed 2023 Legislative Agenda. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal impact associated with this item. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board: 1) review and discuss the proposed Orange County 2023 Priority Legislative Issues and any other potential items for inclusion in Orange County's legislative agenda package for the 2023 North Carolina General Assembly Session; and 2) Consider approval of the Orange County 2023 Priority Legislative Issues document for submittal to Orange County's legislative delegation. Pending action by the Board, staff will work with the Chair to draft a cover letter to be included with the attached document to be provided to Orange County's legislative delegation for the February 27, 2023 Legislative Breakfast. DRAFT 3 ORANGE COUNTY 2023 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Mental Health & Behavioral Health Services — Seek legislation to develop and fund mental health and behavioral health facilities and services at the state and local level that: • ensure adequate State-funded mental health, developmental disability and substance use disorder services and facilities are available, accessible and affordable to all residents; • include dedicated resources for community para-medicine projects and enhanced mobile crisis response; • support Medicaid reimbursement to EMS for behavioral health transport to crisis centers; • reduce the number of people with mental health issues in county detention centers; • ensure that state resources fund service provision costs, inclusive of crisis intervention and treatment; and • provide assistance to NC residents, especially youth, who are dealing with the impacts of COVID; Medicaid Expansion — Support legislation increasing access to the Medicaid program to make health insurance available to North Carolina residents at 138% of the poverty level; broaden the opportunity for coverage for more than 500,000 North Carolinians to address chronic conditions and to prevent illness and disease progression; to provide additional support for rural hospitals; and to protect families from medical debt and bankruptcy; Racial Equity in Criminal Justice — Support continued consideration and implementation, where practicable, of the recommendations of the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC), including: • legislation to legalize the possession and use of marijuana and permit licensed businesses to engage in retail sales to adults, as this decriminalization will in turn broaden the agricultural economy and jobs as well as enhance revenue for governments with taxes, licenses, and other associated revenues that can be utilized to address opioid and other drug-related problems and other needs; • policing reforms to address use of force, community oversight and law enforcement training on crisis intervention; • Funding at the county level to expand access to diversion and restorative justice programs; and • the reduction of fines, fees and costs in criminal court, noting that such fines, fees and costs disproportionately impact people of color and people of low income; Concealed Weapons in Parks and Red Flag Law — Support legislation authorizing counties to regulate the carrying of concealed weapons on county-owned playgrounds and in county-owned parklands, and allowing courts to prevent access to firearms for individuals who show signs of being a danger to themselves or to others. Mental illness, escalating threats, substance abuse and domestic violence are among the circumstances in which a judge should have the authority to order weapon restrictions or surrender; Full Funding of the Leandro Remedial Action Plan — Support equity and racial justice by fully funding the Leandro Remedial Action Plan, which details additional comprehensive, targeted education funding over the next eight years, predominantly to low-wealth and minority communities, in order for the State to come into compliance with its constitutional obligation to provide every student a sound basic education; 4 Priority School Issues — Support legislation to address the following issues related to schools: a) Provide local school systems with calendar flexibility; b) Provide full funding for State allotments including Average Daily Membership (ADM) growth and infrastructure/capital, and support legislation to provide for an overall increase in funding based on ADM outside of the current formula system; c) a periodic accounting process for State per pupil funds so that funds and pro-rated funds follow students to their respective schools, as opposed to the current process that only considers State funding allocations based on students' attendance location on a single day during the school year; d) Increase salary compensation for teachers and staff at all years of service; e) Impose class size reductions commensurate with State funding for staffing; and f) Maintain full funding for Driver Education; School Capital Funding — Support legislation to provide needed State capital funding to support school infrastructure, renovations, and new construction, and support a State bond referendum to address school capital needs; and Non-Partisan Redistricting Process for Elections — Support legislation to establish a process for an independent, non-partisan redistricting process after each United States Census for the election of representatives from North Carolina to the United States House of Representatives, the North Carolina House, and the North Carolina Senate.