A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to make changes to the composition of the B‑3 Interagency council.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑64.25 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑64.25.  Establishment and membership of B‑3 Interagency Council.
(a)	There is established the B‑3 Interagency Council. The Council is a joint council between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Instruction and shall consist of 20 voting members and four nonvoting advisory members as follows:
(1)	The Superintendent of Public Instruction or the Superintendent's designee shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(2)	The Associate Superintendent of Early Education at the Department of Public Instruction shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(3)	The Secretary of Health and Human Services or the Secretary's designee shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(4)	The Deputy Secretary of Human Services at the Department of Health and Human Services shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(5)	Four public members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives who represent organizations that focus on early childhood education and development.
(6)	Four public members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate who represent organizations that focus on early childhood education and development.
(7)	Two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as nonvoting advisory members.
(8)	Two members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to serve as nonvoting advisory members.
(9)	The Director of the Division of Child Development and Early Education of the Department of Health and Human Services, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(10)	The Director of the Office of Early Learning of the Department of Public Instruction, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(11)	The President of the North Carolina Partnership for Children, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(12)	The Director of the Government Data Analytics Center of the Department of Information Technology, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(13)	The President of the North Carolina Head Start Association, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(14)	The Director of the North Carolina Head Start State Collaboration Office of the Department of Public Instruction, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(15)	The Director of the Academic Programs Section of the Community College System, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
(16)	The Program Coordinator for the North Carolina B‑K Higher Education Consortium, or his or her designee, shall serve ex officio, with the same rights and privileges, including voting rights, as other members.
The Deputy Secretary of Human Services and the Associate Superintendent of Early Education shall serve as cochairs of the Council. Members of the Council shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel allowance, as provided in G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate.
(b)	Terms for all public members and advisory members except for the initial appointments shall be for four years. Two of the public members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of this section and one of the advisory members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives pursuant to subdivision (7) of subsection (a) of this section shall be appointed for an initial term of two years. Two of the public members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate pursuant to subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of this section and one of the advisory members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate pursuant to subdivision (8) of subsection (a) of this section shall be appointed for an initial term of two years. Terms for members shall begin on November 1. Members shall serve until their successors are appointed. Any vacancy in the membership of the Council shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
(c)	The Council shall have as its charge establishing a vision and accountability for a birth through grade three system of early education that addresses all of the following:
(1)	Standards and assessment.
(2)	Data‑driven improvement and outcomes, including shared accountability measures such as the NC Pathways to Grade‑Level Reading.
(3)	Teacher and administrator preparation and effectiveness.
(4)	Instruction and environment.
(5)	Transitions and continuity.
(6)	Family engagement.
(7)	Governance and funding."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective November 1, 2019, and applies to appointments for members of the B‑3 Interagency Council on or after that date.