Yesterday, I published a Q&A for covered entities on the HIPAA “Right of Access” provision. In this post, I will discuss the Right of Access Initiative, which was announced in 2019 by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the … Read more

Under the HIPAA “Right of Access” provision, entities that are subject to HIPAA are required to provide patients with access to their health information upon request, in a timely manner, and at a reasonable cost. Failure to meet these requirements … Read more

[By SOG faculty member Phil Dixon] In response to the opioid crisis, North Carolina passed several protections designed to alleviate some of the legal liability surrounding drug use in the interest of harm reduction and public health. One of those … Read more

January recognizes the importance of knowing about human trafficking. The President has declared January Human Trafficking Prevention Month (see the proclamation here). The North Carolina Governor and the Chief Justice have both declared January Human Trafficking Awareness Month (see the … Read more

The quorum requirement is a fundamental principle of parliamentary procedure. Quorum refers to the minimum number of people who must be present for a governing body to conduct official business. Taking official action without a quorum present could prompt potential … Read more

The following are sample policies and other resources for the School of Government’s ARP Basics sessions. We are offering these sessions once a month via Zoom as part of our ARP Office Hours to help those newer to the American … Read more

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 597 U.S. __ (2022). The decision overruled Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that had established … Read more

My last post introduced parliamentary procedure and local rules of procedure generally. This week, we’ll explore the procedural rules surrounding motions. A motion is a formal proposal by a board member that invites the body to take some action. (RONR … Read more

This post was written by Meredith Smith. Someone once told me that to get people really interested in attending a meeting you need to either make it free to attend or provide food.  Well, thanks to funding from the North … Read more

“Remote work is here to stay,” says a 2022 Forbes article. Research by McKinsey & Company released in June 2022 reveals that 58 percent of Americans reported having the opportunity to work from home “at least one day a week,” … Read more

What do the General Statutes say about whether a motion at a board meeting was proper? When multiple motions are pending during a board meeting, which motion should the board address first? What laws govern how to rescind an action … Read more

My colleague Chris McLaughlin correctly noted in 2019 that “[s]ales taxes are, for the most part, a state government issue.”  The North Carolina Department of Revenue (“NCDOR”)—not North Carolina’s local governments—administers and collects sales and use taxes.  The North Carolina … Read more

Update: On January 30, 2023 the Biden Administration informed Congress that it intends to briefly extend the COVID-19 public health emergency declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act until May 11, 2023, after which the public health emergency … Read more

This post is Part 9 of a multi-part series co-authored by Kristi Nickodem and Kristina Wilson. For a more detailed explanation and legal analysis of the issues discussed in this blog post series (including citations to cases referenced in the … Read more

This post is Part 8 of a multi-part series co-authored by Kristi Nickodem and Kristina Wilson. For a more detailed explanation and legal analysis of the issues discussed in this blog post series (including citations to cases referenced in the … Read more

This post is Part 7 of a multi-part series co-authored by Kristi Nickodem and Kristina Wilson. For a more detailed explanation and legal analysis of the issues discussed in this blog post series (including citations to cases referenced in the … Read more

UPDATE (3/3/23):  The North Carolina Supreme Court denied the Town of Boone’s Petition for Discretionary Review, filed on December 20, 2022. In an unpublished decision released on November 15 (Town of Boone v. Watauga County, 2022-NCCOA-778 (Nov. 15, 2022)), the … Read more

This post is Part 6 of a multi-part series. For a more detailed explanation and legal analysis of the issues discussed in this blog post series (including citations to cases referenced in the post), please see Local Government Law Bulletin … Read more

This post is Part 5 of a multi-part series. For a more detailed explanation and legal analysis of the issues discussed in this blog post series (including citations to cases referenced in the post), please see Local Government Law Bulletin … Read more

This post is Part 4 of a multi-part series. For a more detailed explanation and legal analysis of the issues discussed in this blog post series (including citations to cases referenced in the post), please see Local Government Law Bulletin … Read more