Minutes 09-20-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 BACKGROUND: Every two years, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners(NCACC) organizes a process to develop a legislative goals package. The purpose of the package is to develop a consensus of broad support on legislative goals and issues for matters affecting North Carolina counties that may be addressed by the North Carolina General Assembly during the next two calendar years. The goals and issues included in the package, with their broad support, guide and strengthen NCACC representatives and staff as they converse with individual legislators and committees on legislative matters. NCACC began the process to develop its 2017-18 Legislative Goals Package in July 2016. As noted in Attachment 1, North Carolina counties have been asked to submit proposed legislative goals for consideration for inclusion in the package, with a submittal deadline of September 23, 2016. The County's Legislative Issues Work Group (LIWG), including Commissioners Penny Rich and Mia Burroughs, County Attorney John Roberts, and County Manager's Office staff, has recently met. The LIWG developed a draft resolution for Board consideration that outlines several proposed legislative goals for inclusion in NCACC's 2017-18 package. The LIWG's draft resolution is provided at Attachment 2. The Board will likely want to discuss the draft resolution and possibly add to, delete from, and/or revise the language of the proposed goals included in the draft. In an effort to assist the Board in considering possible goals to forward to NCACC, a copy of Orange County's 2016 Resolution Regarding Legislative Matters (Statewide Matters) is provided for reference purposes at Attachment 3. This Resolution was approved by the Board on April 5, 2016 and presented to Orange County's Legislative Delegation for the 2016 General Assembly Session. Commissioner Burroughs said the issues listed here are ones the Board has seen before. She said a few have been updated, and the first two — Broadband and Raise the Age - have moved to the top, given likely bipartisan support. Commissioner Rich echoed Commissioner Burroughs comments, and thanked staff for their support. Commissioner Jacobs said this package was nicely done, and was updated by the committee in a timely manner. Commissioner Price referred to #4: Repeal of House Bill 2 and Expansion of Protected Classes— Seek statewide legislative action to repeal House Bill 2 and provide all North Carolina local governments with the authority to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in order to protect these classes from discrimination and discriminatory practices, and asked if this is to allow different counties the option to consider these groups as protected classes. She asked if the designation of a protected group applies across the board.