A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS TO upgrade and develop computer software for the tracking of administrative rules and contested cases and making that information accessible to the public.
Whereas, over the past four years, the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) has lost sixteen percent of its permanent positions to budget cuts, which has had a profound effect on the delivery of services and the administration of administrative law, making it even more crucial to implement automated and searchable systems; and
Whereas, over the last several years, the Office of Administrative Hearings has, through internal reviews and external studies, identified the need for a comprehensive online rule-making tracking system for the State of North Carolina; and
Whereas, this rule-making tracking system will manage the demands of the internal State rule-making process and meet the demand to provide the public with the tools to track and participate in all stages of the rule-making process; and
Whereas, the Office of Administrative Hearings' statewide docket system for contested cases is a legacy system and is in serious jeopardy of failing.  This system requires migration to current technology and requires enhancements to the internal system and development for public access to the information relating to ongoing contested cases and published decisions; and 
Whereas, the move to Web‑based applications requires current operating systems that will work within the Web environment; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of Administrative Hearings the sum of nine hundred seventy‑eight thousand two hundred sixty‑three dollars ($978,263) for the 2005‑2006 fiscal year and the sum of ninety‑five thousand three hundred twenty‑six dollars ($95,326) for the 2006‑2007 fiscal year.  These funds shall be used to upgrade and develop new computer software and acquire hardware to support the systems.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2005.