A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to IMPROVE the efficiency and effectiveness of North Carolina State Ports and to make needed statutory changes, as recommended by the JOINT LEGISLATIVE Program Evaluation OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  As part of the North Carolina Ports Authority's five‑year strategic planning process, the Ports Authority shall implement:
(1)	Measures to address port utilization, throughput, gate times, and ship turnaround times at the Port of Morehead City.
(2)	Measures to adequately assess the dimensions and factors of maritime port service quality identified in Finding 7 of the Program Evaluation Division Report No. 2019‑07 entitled "Evaluation of Efficiency and Effectiveness of State Ports at Wilmington and Morehead City."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 136‑263 reads as rewritten:
"§ 136‑263.  Container shipping.
The State Ports Authority shall provide adequate equipment and facilities including container cranes as needed, in order to maintain existing and future levels of containerized cargo shipping and provide and encourage growth in handling of containerized cargoes."
SECTION 3.  No later than June 30, 2020, and annually thereafter until fully implemented, the Ports Authority shall submit to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Transportation, the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Department of Transportation, and the Fiscal Research Division a report that contains a status update on the Ports Authority's implementation of an environmental management system (EMS).
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.