House Bill 602 Summary

• Exempts UNC finance, business office, and auditor professionals from most provisions of the North Carolina Human Resources Act, while maintaining coverage under Articles 6 and 7.

• Eliminates or consolidates multiple reporting requirements including medical school primary care plans, government fee reports, research collaboration reports on military behavioral health, and enrollment growth projections.

• Codifies capital project reporting requirements for projects costing at least $10 million, requiring semiannual reports to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Capital Improvements with details on construction phases, expenditures, and funding adequacy.

• Authorizes early retirement incentive programs at UNC through December 31, 2022, allowing severance payments of one to six months of annual base salary for eligible employees and optional health insurance premium assistance.

• Grants UNC presidents authority to approve reductions in force and reorganizations for Human Resources Act-covered employees without additional state agency approval, and allows UNC to pay employee health insurance premiums for employees on emergency temporary furloughs for up to 12 months between June 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021.