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17 <br /> 1) reviewed and discussed the Legislative Issues Work Group's (LIWG) proposed 2021 <br /> legislative package and any other potential items for inclusion in Orange County's <br /> legislative agenda package for the 2021 North Carolina General Assembly Session; <br /> 2) considered approval of the 2021 Orange County Legislative Priority Issues document for <br /> submittal to the County's legislative delegation; and <br /> 3) considered approval of the Other Orange County 2021 Legislative Interests document to <br /> also be shared with Orange County's legislative delegation. <br /> Greg Wilder, Assistant to the County Manager, introduced the item and highlighted <br /> some of the background information. <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> The 2021 North Carolina General Assembly session convened on January 27, 2021. The <br /> Board of Commissioners has historically appointed a Legislative Issues Work Group (LIWG) to <br /> work with staff to develop a proposed legislative package for the County. Based on the work of <br /> the LIWG, the BOCC has then reviewed and approved packages of legislative items to present <br /> to Orange County's legislative delegation. <br /> Commissioners Renee Price and Amy Fowler are serving on the 2021 LIWG and have worked <br /> with staff on the proposed 2021 legislative package, which consists of the two attached <br /> documents, in preparation for the Board's April 19, 2021 Legislative Breakfast meeting with <br /> Orange County's legislative delegation. <br /> As the LIWG considered its approach for this year, the Group decided to identify a set of <br /> Legislative Priorities and a set of Other Legislative Interests. The Group ultimately identified <br /> twenty-two (22) Legislative Priorities, acknowledging that the full Board of Commissioners may <br /> want to consider modifying the list, exchanging one item for another item, other potential <br /> revisions, etc. Attachment 1 is the draft list of twenty-two (22) potential 2021 Orange County <br /> Priority Legislative Issues from the LIWG. <br /> While the LIWG wanted to focus on the twenty-two (22) Priorities in Attachment 1, it also <br /> decided that the County should also express its positions on other topics. Attachment 2 is a <br /> draft listing of Other Orange County 2021 Legislative Interests. It includes issues the Board <br /> has submitted in past years to the County's legislative delegation, with some updates as <br /> necessary, as well as a few new items. <br /> The Board will need to discuss and consider Attachments 1 and 2 as provided by the LIWG. <br /> The work of the Legislative Issues Work Group to this point is based on the current information <br /> available for the 2021 General Assembly Session. The issues addressed by the Group may <br /> evolve and change over the session and require additional attention by the Group and Board of <br /> Commissioners. New issues may also arise necessitating additional review. <br /> Greg Wilder said once the legislative agenda is approved, it will be sent to the County's <br /> legislative delegation prior to the April 19, 2021 legislative breakfast meeting. <br /> Commissioner Fowler said there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed, and she <br /> welcomes comments for prioritizing issues over others. <br /> Chair Price agreed, and said the work group wanted to present a wide variety of issues <br /> to the legislative delegation, including issues that would be easier for the delegates to gain <br /> momentum on during the legislative process. <br />