A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE CERTIFICATE OF NEED LAW WITH RESPECT TO TIME LINES FOR ISSUANCE OF A CERTIFICATE OF NEED.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 131E‑187 reads as rewritten:
"§ 131E‑187.  Issuance of a certificate of need.
		
The Department shall issue a certificate of need in accordance with the time line requirements of this section but only after all applicable conditions of approval that can be satisfied before issuance of the certificate of need have been met. The Department shall issue a certificate of need within:(1)	Thirty-five days of the date of the decision referenced in G.S. 131E‑186, when no request for a contested case hearing has been filed in accordance with G.S. 131E‑188.
(2)	Five business days after it receives a file‑stamped copy of the notice of voluntary dismissal, unless the voluntary dismissal is a stipulation of dismissal without prejudice.
(3)	Thirty-five days of the date of the written notice of the final agency decision affirming or approving the issuance, unless a notice of appeal to the North Carolina Court of Appeals is timely filed.
(4)	Twenty days after a mandate is issued by the North Carolina Court of Appeals affirming the issuance of a certificate of need, unless a notice of appeal or petition for discretionary review to the North Carolina Supreme Court is timely filed.
(5)	Five business days after the North Carolina Supreme Court issues a mandate affirming the issuance of a certificate of need or an order declining to certify the case for discretionary review if the order declining to certify the case disposes of the appeal in its entirety."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to all final agency decisions made on or after that date.