A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT exempting county-owned hospitals from most statutory requirements governing public contracts.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 8 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new section to read:
"§ 143‑133.1.  Certain county-owned hospitals exempt from competitive bidding requirements.
No provision with respect to the acquisition, operation, or disposition of property by other public bodies shall be applicable to a county-owned hospital with 700 or more licensed beds unless otherwise specified by the General Assembly, except that county‑owned hospitals under this section shall do all of the following:
(1)	Comply with the minority business participation requirements set forth in Article 8 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes.
(2)	Comply with the certificate of need requirements set forth in Article 9 of Chapter 131E of the General Statutes.
(3)	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."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.