NC S1229

Establishes the Joint Legislative Commission on Poverty Reduction and Economic Recovery to study and develop coordinated approaches to poverty reduction and economic recovery across North Carolina.

Commission consists of 20 voting members: 10 appointed by the Speaker of the House (7 House members, 3 public members with expertise in business/economic development, public health, and affordable housing) and 10 appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate (7 Senate members, 3 public members with expertise in education, public safety, and child welfare).

Includes 7 nonvoting ex-officio members representing the Commissioners of Labor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Secretary of Commerce, and Chairman of the Employment Security Commission.

Commission shall examine poverty in 15 designated counties (Alleghany, Avery, Bladen, Columbus, Edgecombe, Graham, Halifax, Hoke, Northampton, Robeson, Scotland, Tyrrell, Warren, Watauga, and Yancey), study other states' best practices, establish regional commissions, and identify poverty reduction targets and timelines.

Commission members serve two-year terms beginning January 15 of odd-numbered years and receive per diem, subsistence, and travel allowances; commission may make interim reports and recommendations to the General Assembly.