GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	3 

SENATE BILL 366
Government Performance Audit Select Committee Substitute Adopted 4/26/93
Third Edition Engrossed 5/12/93

Short Title:  GPAC/State Workers' Comp.	(Public)
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Sponsors:
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Referred to:  Appropriations.
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February 24, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO IMPLEMENT A RECOMMENDATION OF THE GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AUDIT COMMITTEE TO CREATE THE STATE WORKERS' COMPENSATION OFFICE AND TO CONSOLIDATE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE STATE WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROGRAM.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article to read:
"ARTICLE 64.
"State Workers' Compensation Office.
"§ 143-590. State Workers' Compensation Office established; duties.
There is hereby established the State Workers' Compensation Office (hereinafter referred to as 'Office').  The Office is established to consolidate the administration of the State Workers' Compensation Program.  The Office shall administer the State Workers' Compensation Program in accordance with rules and procedures to be adopted by the Office, including rules and procedures related to the following:
(1)	Processing all State employee claims; including employees in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government and all public school employees paid from State funds;
(2)	Authorizing payment of benefits to employees pursuant to the Workers' Compensation Act and the rules and regulations of the North Carolina Industrial Commission; and
(3)	Settling workers' compensation claims made against the State."
Sec. 2.  It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Office created in Section 1 of this act shall begin processing State workers' compensation claims no later than December 31, 1994, and that total claims processing will be phased in over the next two years following that date.
Sec. 3.  The Office of State Personnel (OSP) in conjunction with the Office of State Budget and Management and the Office of the State Controller, shall develop an implementation plan to consolidate the central administration of claims processing of the State workers' compensation claims in the Office created in Section 1 of this act.  The plan shall comply with the time schedule established under Section 2 of this act and shall address, but not be limited to, the following elements:
(1)	Staffing and equipment needs of the Office;
(2)	Automated systems requirements;
(3)	Space requirements;
(4)	Operational responsibilities remaining with the agencies;
(5)	Transfer of agency positions to the Office;
(6)	Presentation of the plan to the agencies;
(7)	Appropriations required to implement the plan; and
(8)	Organizational placement of the Office.
OSP shall complete the implementation plan by February 1, 1994, and deliver it to the General Assembly on or before the first day of the 1994 General Assembly by filing the report with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, and the Fiscal Research Division.
Sec. 3.  (a).  The Office of State Personnel, Department of Administration, shall fund this act within funds available to it.
(b)	Nothing in this act obligates the General Assembly to appropriate any funds to implement this act.
Sec. 5.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective July 1, 1994.  The remainder of this act is effective upon ratification.