A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to support the work of trauma centers across the state through an increase in the FEE charged for Restoring drivers licenses revoked for alcohol‑related offenses and to create the statewide trauma system study commission.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 20‑16.5(j) reads as rewritten:
"(j)	Costs. – Unless the magistrate or judge orders the revocation rescinded, a person whose license is revoked under this section must pay a fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) as costs for the action before the person's license may be returned under subsection (h). The costs collected under this section shall be credited to the General Fund. Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) of each fee collected shall be used to fund a statewide chemical alcohol testing program administered by the Injury Control Section of the Department of Health and Human Services. One hundred dollars ($100.00) of each fee collected shall be credited to a nonreverting account within the Office of Emergency Services of the Division of Facility Services of the Department of Health and Human Services to be used for the development and operation of the statewide trauma system established pursuant to G.S. 131E-162."
SECTION 1.(b)  Funds credited to the nonreverting account established in G.S. 20‑16.5(j) for the development and operation of the statewide trauma system shall not be used for any other purpose and shall not be expended until the Statewide Trauma System Study Commission, established in Section 2 of this act, has determined the most effective method for the regional distribution of those funds in an interim or final report, and those recommendations have been acted upon by the General Assembly.
SECTION 2.(a)  Commission Established. – There is established the Statewide Trauma System Study Commission.
SECTION 2.(b)  Membership. – The Commission membership shall be representative of the different geographical regions of the State and shall include members from rural areas of the State to the extent practicable. The Commission shall consist of 21 members as follows:
(1)	The Governor shall appoint seven members: one representative of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, one practicing paramedic, one trauma center nurse, one trauma center finance or operations director, one representative of a law enforcement agency that is also an EMS first responder, one representative of the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, and one EMS administrator or educator. 
(2)	The President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint seven members: two members of the Senate, one trauma center surgeon, one state trauma system regional advisory committee (RAC) coordinator, one volunteer fire or rescue worker, one air medical rescue worker, and one former trauma patient.
(3)	The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint seven members: two members of the House of Representatives, one representative of the North Carolina Medical Care Commission, one career firefighter, one representative of the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma, one 911 or other dispatch worker, and one emergency room department director.
SECTION 2.(c)  Duties. – The Commission shall study the delivery of emergency medical services in this State and shall:
(1)	Determine the most effective method for the regional distribution of funds provided to the Office of Emergency Services through license restoration fees collected under G.S. 20‑16.5(j), and report to the Joint Legislative Health Care Oversight Committee annually on the uses of the funding;
(2)	Analyze impediments to the seamless delivery of care to trauma victims, including legal, administrative, logistical, and other barriers, and determine means of streamlining the delivery of improved and more efficient care;
(3)	Examine ways of improving the quality and delivery of care to trauma and emergency victims in terms of transportation, equipment, education, and personnel needs, as well as the need for additional trauma centers and improved coordination of existing centers;
(4)	Examine methods of improving North Carolina's readiness to handle trauma resulting from massive disasters; and
(5)	Any other matters related to the delivery of emergency medical services.
SECTION 2.(d)  Report. – The Commission shall submit a final written report of its findings and recommendations to the 2005 General Assembly and may submit progress reports to the 2003 General Assembly. The Commission may include in its progress reports or the final report its recommendations for the best use of the funds provided to the Office of Emergency Services through license restoration fees collected under G.S. 20‑16.5(j), as well as any recommendations for further streamlining the delivery of care through regional trauma systems. The reports shall also include any legislative proposals necessary to implement those recommendations and an analysis of any fiscal impact of each recommendation.  The Commission shall terminate upon filing its final report.
SECTION 2.(e)  Expenses of Members. – Members of the Commission shall be paid per diem, subsistence, and travel allowances as follows:
(1)	Commission members who are also members of the General Assembly, at the rate established in G.S. 120‑3.1;
(2)	Commission members who are officials or employees of the State or local government agencies, at the rate established in G.S. 138‑6;
(3)	All other Commission members, at the rate established in G.S. 138‑5.
SECTION 2.(f)  Cochairs; Meetings. – Cochairs of the Commission shall be designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate from among their respective appointees. The Commission shall meet upon the call of the chairs.  A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum.  The Commission may meet during a regular or special session of the General Assembly, subject to approval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The Legislative Services Commission shall provide adequate meeting space to the Commission in the State Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building.
SECTION 2.(g)  Staff. – With the prior approval of the Legislative Services Commission, the Legislative Services Officer shall assign professional staff to assist in the work of the Commission.
SECTION 2.(h)  Cooperation by Government Agencies. – The Commission may call upon any department, agency, institution, or officer of the State or any political subdivision of the State for facilities, data, or other assistance. All State departments and agencies, local governments, and their subdivisions shall cooperate with the Commission and, upon request, shall furnish to the Commission and its staff any information in their possession or available to them.
SECTION 2.(i)  Funding. – From funds appropriated to the General Assembly, the Legislative Services Commission shall allocate funds for the expenses of the Commission.
SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2002, and applies to costs collected on or after that date. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.