A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the public health system by establishing a public health improvement incentive program, strengthening local public health infrastructure, and assuring the provision of the ten essential public health services.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 2 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new sections to read:
"§ 130A‑34.3.  Incentive program for public health improvement.
(a)	In order to promote efficiency and effectiveness of the public health delivery system, the Department shall establish a Public Health Improvement Incentive Program. The Program shall provide monetary incentives for the creation and expansion of multicounty local health departments serving a population of not less than 75,000.
(b)	The Commission shall adopt rules to implement the Public Health Improvement Incentive Program.
"§ 130A‑34.4.  Strengthening local public health infrastructure.
(a)	By July 1, 2014, in order for a local health department to be eligible to receive State and federal public health funding from the Division of Public Health, the following criteria shall be met:
(1)	A local health department shall:
a.	Obtain and maintain accreditation pursuant to G.S. 130A‑34.1.
b.	Be organized as a (i) single‑county or multicounty public health authority created pursuant to G.S. 130A‑45.02, (ii) a district health department created pursuant to G.S. 130A‑36, or (iii) a consolidated human services agency created prior to January 1, 2011, pursuant to G.S. 153A‑77.
(2)	The county or counties comprising the local health department shall maintain appropriations to local health departments from local ad valorem tax receipts at levels equal to amounts appropriated in State fiscal year 2010‑2011 or fifteen dollars ($15.00) per capita, whichever is greater.
(b)	The criteria established in subsection (a) of this section shall be in addition to any other funding criteria established by State or federal law."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 130A‑1.1(b) is rewritten to read:
"(b)	A local health department shall assure that the following 10 essential public health services are available and accessible to the population in each county served by the local health department:
(1)	Monitoring health status to identify community health problems.
(2)	Diagnosing and investigating health hazards in the community.
(3)	Informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues.
(4)	Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
(5)	Developing policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
(6)	Enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
(7)	Linking people to needed personal health care services and assuring the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
(8)	Assuring a competent public health workforce and personal health care workforce.
(9)	Evaluating effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population‑based health services.
(10)	Conducting research.
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SECTION 3.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall allocate, from funds appropriated, the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) to the Division of Public Health to provide incentives to local health departments through the Public Health Improvement Incentive Program.
SECTION 4.  The Program Evaluation Division of the General Assembly shall study the feasibility of the transfer of all functions, powers, duties, and obligations vested in the Division of Public Health in the Department of Health and Human Services to the University of North Carolina Healthcare System and submit its findings and recommendations to the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services  no later than February 1, 2012.
SECTION 5.  Section 3 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2011. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.