Signed by Governor Roy Cooper III

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates $17 billion in funds for COVID-19 relief.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $42,920,546 for the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II) (Sec. 1.1.a).

• Appropriates $500,000 to the State Library NC Kids Digital Library project to address learning loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 5A).

• Appropriates up to $10,000,000 for each public school unit in the State, except for schools operated by the State Board of Education, to ensure that each public school unit receives a total amount from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) Fund of at least one hundred eighty dollars ($180.00) per pupil in federal grant funds (Sec. 1.2-6).

• Appropriates $10,000,000 to be used for contracted services 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 (Sec. 1.2-7).

• Appropriates $10,000,000 for public school units participating in a federal school nutrition program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture for school nutrition services provided in response to COVID-19 (Sec. 1.2-8).

• Appropriates $12,000,000 to provide Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling training for teachers for improving the literacy and language development of students, building strong foundational early literacy skills by utilizing the Science of Reading, and recouping learning losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 1.2-11).

• Appropriates $15,000,000 for the Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports Competitive Grant Program (Program) (Sec. 1.2-12).

• Appropriates $40,000,000 to be held in reserve by the Department to be allocated to public school units to support in-person instruction programs to address learning loss and provide enrichment activities in the summer (Sec. 1.2-13).

• Appropriates $26,046,144 to be held in reserve by the Department to be allocated to public school units to support COVID-19 related needs, including in-person instruction programs to address learning loss and provide enrichment activities in the summer (Sec. 1.2-14).

• Appropriates $94,768,784 for COVID-19 Vaccine Preparedness (Sec. 1.4-5.b).

• Appropriates $1,602,591,000 for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund II (Sec. 1.4-5.b).

• Appropriates $546,596,104 for Emergency Rental Assistance (Sec. 1.4-5.b).

• Appropriates $546,596,104 for individual counties (Sec. 1.4-5.e).

• Requires an immunizing pharmacist who administers a long-acting injectable medication according to this section to do the following (Sec. 2.9.a):

• Maintain a record of any administration of a long-acting injectable performed by the immunizing pharmacist to the patient in a patient profile or record; and

• Within 72 hours after the administration of the long-acting injectable performed by the immunizing pharmacist to the patient, notify the prescriber regarding which medication and dosage were administered to the patient.

Full Bill Text