GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2025

S                                                                                                                                                     1

SENATE BILL 961

Short Title:      Hospital Authority Commissioner Reforms.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senator Burgin (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to:	Rules and Operations of the Senate

May 4, 2026

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to make reforms to hospital authority Boards of commissioners.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 131E‑18 reads as rewritten:

"§ 131E‑18.  Commissioners.

(a)        The mayor or the chairman of the county board shall appoint the commissioners of the authority. There shall be not less than six eight and not more than 30 38 commissioners. Upon a finding that it is in the public interest, or that it is required to meet the requirements of this section, the commissioners may adopt a resolution increasing or decreasing the number of commissioners by a fixed number; Provided that however no decrease in the number of commissioners shall shorten a commissioner's term. A certified copy of the resolution and a list of nominees shall be submitted to the mayor or the chairman of the county board of commissioners for appointments in accordance with the procedures set forth in subsection (d) of this section. The commissioners of the authority shall include at least the following:

(1) Four members of the public who are not healthcare providers licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, married to healthcare providers licensed under Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, employed by the authority, or married to anyone employed by the authority.

(2) Four elected officials who are either of the following:

a. Commissioners of a county that is, in whole or in part, within the hospital authority's territorial boundaries as defined in G.S. 131E‑20.

b. Elected officials in a city or town that is within the hospital authority's territorial boundaries as defined in G.S. 131E‑20.

…

(i) Any meeting of the commissioners of a hospital authority shall be conducted in accordance with Article 33C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes."

SECTION 1.(b)  A hospital authority that already has the member of the public or elected official commissioners required by G.S. 131E‑18(a)(1) and (a)(2), as amended by Section 1(a) of this act, shall not be required to appoint additional commissioners.

SECTION 1.(c)  To ensure term staggering, the first two members of the public and elected officials required to be appointed by G.S. 131E‑18, as amended by Section 1(a) of this act, shall serve an initial term of one year. The third and fourth members of the public and elected officials required to be appointed by G.S. 131E‑18, as amended by Section 1(a) of this act, shall serve an initial term of two years. All subsequent terms shall be for three years. All members required to be appointed by this act shall be appointed no later than December 1, 2026.

SECTION 1.(d)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year to ensure hospital authorities are in compliance with the provisions of this act.

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.