A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT exempting new hanover regional medical center, a new hanover county owned hospital, from statutory requirements governing public contracts.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  No provision with respect to the acquisition, operation, or disposition of property by other public bodies shall be applicable to New Hanover Regional Medical Center (hereinafter "Center") unless otherwise specified by the General Assembly, except that the Center shall do all of the following:
(1)	Obtain a resolution from the Center's Board of Trustees requesting that the Board of Commissioners of New Hanover County approve, by resolution, the Center's exemption from statutory requirements governing public contracts as provided in this act.
(2)	Receive at least three competitive bids from reputable and qualified contractors regularly engaged in their respective lines of endeavor before awarding a contract under this act.
(3)	Receive at least three competitive bids from reputable individuals for the disposition of property.
(4)	Comply with the minority business participation requirements set forth in Article 8 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes.
(5)	Comply with the certificate of need requirements set forth in Article 9 of Chapter 131E of the General Statutes.
(6)	Conduct an annual independent audit of all contracts for construction or repair work that would otherwise be subject to the competitive bidding requirements provided in G.S. 143‑129.
(7)	Make public any contracts awarded under the provisions of this act immediately upon the contract being awarded.
SECTION 2.  It is the General Assembly's intent to provide full public inspection, disclosure, and review of contracts awarded under the provisions of this act and, to that end, the Center shall comply with the provisions of this act and shall make available to the public any public records that are relevant to contracts awarded under this act.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and expires June 30, 2010.