A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to streamline the process for approval of school facility construction and renovation plans.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 58‑31‑40(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	No agency or other person authorized or directed by law to select a plan and erect a building for the use of the State or any State institution shall receive and approve of the plan until it is submitted to and approved by the Commissioner as to the safety of the proposed building from fire, including the property's occupants or contents. No agency or person authorized or directed by law to select a plan or erect a building comprising 20,000 square feet or more for the use of any county, city, or school district shall receive and approve of the plan until it is submitted to and approved by the Commissioner as to the safety of the proposed building from fire, including the property's occupants or contents."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 136‑18(29a) reads as rewritten:
"§ 136‑18.  Powers of Department of Transportation.
The said Department of Transportation is vested with the following powers:
…
(29a)	To coordinate with all public and private entities planning schools to provide written recommendations and evaluations of driveway access and traffic operational and safety impacts on the State highway system resulting from the development of the proposed sites. All public and private entities shall, upon acquiring land for a new school or prior to beginning construction of a new school or relocating a school, provide the Department with notice of the proposed development. Upon request of the entity, the Department shall provide a written evaluation and written recommendations to ensure that all proposed access points comply with the criteria in the current North Carolina Department of Transportation "Policy on Street and Driveway Access". The Department shall provide the written evaluation and recommendations within a reasonable time, which shall not exceed 30 days. This subdivision shall not be construed to require the public or private entities planning schools to meet the recommendations made by the Department."
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2007.