A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds for the mediation network of north carolina.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Judicial Department the sum of one hundred seventy thousand three hundred twelve dollars ($170,312) for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year to provide expansion funding for the Mediation Network of North Carolina. These funds shall be used to increase the funding at each mediation center by ten percent (10%) to address increases in workload in court referral mediations and to assist with court backlogs.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Judicial Department the sum of one hundred five thousand dollars ($105,000) for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year to establish three new mediation centers for Surry and Stokes Counties, Rowan County, and Caswell and Person Counties.
SECTION 3.  G.S. 7A‑38.6 is amended by adding two new subsections to read:
"(k)	Funds appropriated to the Judicial Department for the Mediation Network of North Carolina shall not revert at the end of the fiscal year but shall remain available to the Department to be used for the funding of community mediation centers. The Judicial Department may reallocate those funds between community mediation centers in order to maximize the effectiveness of the Mediation Network of North Carolina.
(l)	Dispute resolution fees charged under G.S. 7A‑38.7 shall be credited to the mediation center collecting the fee as a non‑State funding source for purposes of subsections (c) through (f) of this section."
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.