09/20/12 — Commissioners named to state association

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Commissioners named to state association

By From staff reports
Published in News on September 20, 2012 1:46 PM

Two Wayne County commissioners have been appointed to committees by the National Association of Counties.

District 5 Commissioner Bud Gray has been named to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee and District 4 Commissioner Steve Keen to the Health Steering Committee.

Keen also has been appointed to the North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission on Transitions to Community Living by the North Carolina General Assembly.

He has been reappointed to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners' Health and Human Services Steering Committee.

The committee is one of seven that provide guidance and recommendations. They meet quarterly to gather and consider information on emerging county-related issues.

According to National Association of Counties' website, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee is "responsible for all matters pertaining to legislation affecting the economy of agricultural counties; rural development programs; and conservation and environmental programs affecting agriculture.

"In addition, the committee is responsible for oversight of platform amendments and resolutions from other steering committees that have a significant impact on rural counties."

The Health Steering Committee is responsible for issues relating to health care delivery and financing including indigent care; health care for the uninsured; Medicaid; Medicare; long-term care; local public health programs; mental health; substance abuse; and developmental disabilities.

The General Assembly formed the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transitions to Community Living to examine the state's system of community housing and support for people who suffer from severe and/or persistent mental illness and intellectual and developmental disabilities.