AN ACT exempting new hanover regional medical center, a new hanover county hospital, from statutory requirements governing public contracts.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  No provision of law with respect to the acquisition or operation 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 Board of Commissioners of New Hanover County approving the Center's exemption from statutory requirements governing public contracts as provided in this act.
(2)	Comply with the minority business participation requirements set forth in Article 8 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes.
(3)	Comply with the certificate of need requirements set forth in Article 9 of Chapter 131E of the General Statutes.
(4)	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.
(5)	Comply with all applicable local zoning and land use regulations.
SECTION 2.  The annual independent audit required by Section 1 of this act shall be reported to the Center's Board of Trustees. The audit shall include the specific reasons for utilizing the authority granted by this act.
SECTION 3.  The Center shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 132 of the General Statutes as applicable to other public hospitals.
SECTION 4.  Once a contract is entered into by the Center pursuant to the provisions of this act, the Center shall prepare a document setting out the reasons for utilizing the authority granted by this act, include the document in its official files, and make the document available to the public.
SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 14th day of June, 2007.

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives