Government Relations Update
September 12, 2020
NCGA Update
The NC House & Senate stand adjourned sine die.
The 2021 Long Session of the North Carolina General Assembly will convene Wednesday, January 13th, 2021.
Stay tuned for additional updates as we finalize our legislative agenda for the upcoming long session.
For questions, email us anytime at governmentrelations@ncschoolcounselor.org
HB 1105 - Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0
Major education allocations include:
- $10M for improving Internet connectivity for students through mobile Internet access points. Cost of devices, not subscription. This would be in addition to the $11M in PRC128
- $20M for PPE. This would be in addition to the $7m appropriated in HB1023
- $17M for grants for EC students' services. This would be in addition to the $20M in PRC132
Check out EdNC's article which provides a great summary of HB 1105.
Funding for School Counselors
- $10 million from HB 1043 - 2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act to be used for contracted services provided no later than December 30, 2020, for school health support personnel to provide additional physical and mental health support services for students in response to COVID-19, including remote and in-person physical and mental health support services. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "school health support personnel" shall refer to school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, and school social workers.
- $40 million from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund to hire more specialized instructional support personnel (SISP). This SISP funding is specifically and only for licensed or provisionally licensed school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists and school nurses with the only other acceptable use being for “school nurse extenders.” These funds must be used in addition to pre-existing funding for these personnel and cannot supplant funding already being used for these purposes. These COVID Relief funds will be available for two years through September 2022.
Visit the links below for more info!
Education News for North Carolina
Legislative Info & Acronyms
Biennium- A two-year term of legislative activity
Public Bill- Legislation enacted into law that applies to the public at large
Local Bill- Legislation put into law that has limited application (How many counties)- Local bills do not have to be signed by the governor
Sponsor- The legislator who presents a bill or resolution for consideration
Resolution- A document that expresses the sentiment or intent of the legislature or a chamber. Resolutions, when finalized, go to the Secretary of State
DPI = NC Department of Public Instruction
LEA = Local Education Agency
NCGA = North Carolina General Assembly
LB/LOB = Legislative Building/Legislative Office Building
SBE = North Carolina State Board of Education
SISP = Specialized Instructional Support Personnel
HB/SB = House Bill/Senate Bill
JR = Joint Resolution
SL = Session Law
GS = General Statute
PCS = Proposed Committee Substitute
NCSCA Government Relations
Email: governmentrelations@ncschoolcounselor.org
Website: https://www.ncschoolcounselor.org/page-1535555
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA
Facebook: facebook.com/ncsca
Twitter: @ncsca