Foothills Review

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) discussed the newly formed legislative task force that will help deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have appointed these task forces, which are bipartisan in every way. We have Democrat and Republican chairs ... to be able to offer that input and that advice that we think will be helpful not only to our branch of government but also to the governor and other folks in the executive branches," Moore told UNC-TV in an interview. "For example, a legislator from another part of the state may have something that's unique there that business owners are seeing. [The task force] will make sure that's being communicated to the governor's offices."

This will allow the governor to consider what's happening throughout the state when making executive decisions.

North Carolina, like the majority of states, has seen positive COVID-19 cases climb daily. As of April 8, the state's Health and Human Services department reported 3,426 cases, 53 deaths. Nationwide, according to CNN.com, there are nearly 400,000 cases and 13,000 deaths.

Moore said it's also important to make sure hospitals have the capacity and resources to care for patients infected with COVID-19 and other patients who need critical treatment such as those in car accidents, had a heart attack, or sick with other serious conditions.

"I certainly think that anything and everything that we can do to improve the lives of these frontline first-responders, we ought to do it," Moore said to UNC-TV.

But the task force isn't the only group trying to help North Carolina during the pandemic.

The Golden LEAF Foundation announced small business loans up to $50,000 to help out local businesses and nonprofits during the financial crisis.

Moore said he is also examining how the state can support businesses where there are shortfalls.

The task force is designed to deal with issues facing the state related to COVID-19. The General Assembly is prioritizing a budget that provides relief to small businesses. Another priority is to give needed materials and resources to health care providers, Moore said.

The government is also making sure education is a top focus.

"We're going to make sure the every North Carolinian gets access to a great education," Moore told UNC-TV.

The House Speaker said it's important to make sure all students can transition and complete their work to be able to finish the school year. He said it's uncertain what the remainder of the school year will look like or when it will be safe for classes to resume the normal session, but distance learning could be a long-term solution.