2023 NASW-NC Legislative Session Update: Week 14
For the week of April 10th, the NC General Assembly was on Spring Break. This meant that it was somewhat quieter in Raleigh. While Spring Break granted advocates a week away from the building, there is still a lot of work to be done upon their return.
Action Alert: Protect Transgender Youth!
SB 631 - Fairness in Women's Sports Act, will be heard on Tuesday, April 18th at 9AM in 544 LOB. The House Judiciary will hear its version of the bill HB 574 Wednesday, April 19 at 8:30am. NASW-NC Opposes these bills.
These harmful bills will ban transgender youth from participating in school sports in K-12 schools. These laws mean that transgender girls would not be allowed to participate in sports with other girls. The bill directly undermines the existing policies of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, which spent more than a year researching and developing a policy for allowing trans athletes to compete while maintaining a fair and level playing field.
Please contact your House and Senate members and let them know how harmful this will be to transgender youth. Many transgender children and youth face harassment and violence in school environments, and those who do not feel safe or valued at school cannot reach their potential. We know that after passage of HB2 restricting transgender students’ access to facilities, calls to the Trans Suicide Prevention Lifeline doubled. This law would be detrimental to the transgender individuals of North Carolina. Email and call your legislators NOW.
From our partners Equality NC:
- Identify Speaker - We have updated the Speaker Sign-up form to reflect both committee hearings. We are looking for Trans youth, parents and medical experts who might be able to speak on the negative impacts of this bill for LGBTQ youth, especially trans youth athletes.
- Storytelling Training - We have scheduled a Storytelling Training for Monday 5pm to help give tools for folks to share their story in different ways. Folks can register by going to this link Storytelling Training
- Activation - We are hosting Action Hours Tuesday - Thursday at various times to hit our targeted lawmakers. Folks can sign up and see all the times by going to this link Action Hours
- Social Media - Please share our ongoing social media messaging/posts so we can reach all corners of North Carolina and fight the #SlateOfHate.
Equality NC has provided an action alert to send a letter to tell NC lawmakers to stop bullying young people and to protect trans youth.
Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact is Filed in Senate!
***NASW-NC will be working to ensure SB 718 makes it out of committee and onto the Senate calendar for a vote by the Bill Crossover Deadline on Thursday, May 4th!!!***
The NC Senate introduced and filed SB 718 - Social Work Licensure Compact on Thursday 4/6 at 3PM, one hour before the bill deadline for the 2023 session at 4pm on 4/6/23! The bill's primary sponsors are Senator Kraweic, Senator Burgin, and Senator Corbin. Senator Sydney Batch, who is also a social worker, has also signed on as a sponsor. Other sponsors include Senator Adcock, Hunt & Mohammed. NASW-NC has been advocating for SB 718 as a top 20223 legislative agenda item. You can read more about what the compact does to protect and strengthen the social work profession by clicking here.
Restoring Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers is Introduced in Senate
The NC Senate introduced Senate Bill 524 - School Social Workers/Master's Pay during session on Tuesday 4/4. Senator Waddell is the primary sponsor of this bill, which would provide eligible school social workers with education-based salary supplements, regardless of whether a master’s degree is needed for licensure. Senator Adcock, Meyer (social worker), Mohammed, Murdock and Robinson are all co-sponsors. NASW-NC is grateful to see members of the NC Senate are supporting restoration of Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers. Please call or email their offices to thank them as a social worker for sponsoring SB 524!
Please call your state senator and ask them to support Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers. Find your legislators here: https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators. Be sure to click the option for NC Senate. Talking points here.
Click Here to take ACTION!
Restoring Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers is INCLUDED in the House Budget! This is another step closer to success. However, we still need to ensure the NC Senate includes restoring Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers in their version of the budget.
Please remember to contact your NC House Representatives to say "Thank You!" for including Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers!
Thank you to all the social workers who have been working on this equitable pay issue, especially during the 2023 Legislative Session! Your visits, calls, letters and emails are making a difference!
Advocacy Events and Alerts:
Join justice advocates on Tuesday, May 2nd for the Second Chance Lobby Day. Second Chance Lobby Day is a time for all who believe in second chances to come together to speak to our NC lawmakers about the criminal justice and reentry issues that are impacting our communities. Register here!
Register for Immigrant Day of Action on Tuesday, April 25th! For the third consecutive year, the NC anti-immigrant lawmakers are trying to pass an anti-immigrant bill that would harm our immigrant friends and neighbors. In the past, we’ve been able to defeat their attempts, but this time we really need your help. HB 10 seeks to force sheriff departments to work with ICE to detain and deport immigrant residents of North Carolina. Can you join us Tuesday, April 25, for a day of action at the General Assembly in Raleigh?
Join Child Care for NC - United for Change on Their Advocacy Day on Thursday, April 20th. Register HERE!
Chavis Housing Health and Wellness Day. Save the Date - April 29, 10 am - 3 pm
Wednesday, April 19 — Black & Brown Policy Network Lobby Day: Join Black and Brown advocates statewide advocating with lawmakers around issues of democracy, education, healthcare, immigration, economic justice and more!
Monday, April 24 — Moral Monday Ten-Year Anniversary & Recommitment Rally
Social Workers support unrestricted access to Abortion/Reproductive Health
Abortion Pills
The Supreme Court Has — Temporarily — Paused Restrictions On The Abortion Pill From Taking Effect
Main takeaway: As of now: Women can still receive this prescription up to 10-weeks; through a tele-health visit; and through the mail.
The Supreme Court has taken emergency action to pause stringent restrictions on abortion medication mifepristone from taking effect, hours before they were set to be enacted.
The Supreme Court’s orders, released on Friday afternoon and signed by Justice Samuel Alito, state that the temporary hold will last through Wednesday, April 19, 2023, and gives the litigants until Tuesday at noon ET to submit responses. On Friday, the Supreme Court scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday as two additional opinion days.
This decision puts on hold lower court rulings which would have restricted access to the abortion medication mifepristone. The order from the Supreme Court preserves the status quo (for now) of previous regulation while litigation over the issue continues. The Justice Department, along with drug manufacturer Danco Laboratories, had filed emergency requests on Friday asking the Supreme Court for the stay.
Source: MSN
DeSantis signs Florida GOP’s 6-week abortion ban into law
You can read more about Florida's new abortion ban after 6-weeks by clicking HERE. This 6-week ban does not go into immediate effect. Abortion is still legal in the state of Florida through 15 weeks of pregnancy. If the Florida Supreme Court rules to eliminate Florida’s right to privacy, providers would have 30 days after that ruling to enforce the 6-week ban. This could be months from today's ruling.
HB 533-Human Life Protection Act of 2023 (Abortion Ban).
A group of Republicans has filed a new bill in the North Carolina House that could potentially ban legal abortion in the state except as necessary to save a mother’s life. If this bill, deemed House Bill 533, goes through it would ban abortion processes except in cases of spontaneous abortion of the fetus or an ectopic pregnancy. And anyone who would receive or perform an abortion in the state except for those reasons would face felony criminal charges along with a hefty fine. NASW-NC OPPOSES.
You can take action to ask legislators to support abortion access in NC without restrictions by clicking here.
Social Workers support free and fair elections
HB 304 - Election Day Integrity Act
House Bill 304, would eliminate the state’s three-day grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive after the election. In the 2020 election, more than 11,000 valid ballots came in during that period. Under current law, as long as someone’s mail-in ballot is postmarked on Election Day or before, it will be counted as long as it arrives within three days of the election. That lets people wait until the last minute to make up their mind — or simply remember to put their ballot in the mail — and still have it counted, since the U.S. Postal Service typically takes a few days to deliver mail. NC also has one of the largest groups of enlisted military members who are mailing in votes from different states or even overseas. Passed first house reading and re-ref to the rules committee. NASW-NC Opposes
HB 123 - Early Voting Constitutional Amendment - will end early voting a full week before election day, four days from the current window. NASW-NC Opposes.
ACLU-NC Files Federal Lawsuit Against HB40
The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina lawsuit challenges House Bill 40, which would increase penalties for certain existing rioting charges and create new offenses related to rioting, among other provisions. The civil rights lawsuit seeks to halt enforcement of “plainly unconstitutional portions” of the law, according to a news release. The group, in the release it sent Tuesday, denounced the increased criminal penalties for protesting and said the law makes protesters liable to individuals harmed by a protest, “even where a protestor only verbally encouraged activities defined as ‘rioting’ and did not take any individual actions to cause injury or damage.” The civil rights group also said the law is “overbroad and vague and will function to dissuade people from engaging in lawful protest activities.”
Source: News & Observer
Wake County School Budget Proposal (North Carolina's largest public school district)
Wake County Superintendent Catty Moore wants a $55.8 million increase in local education funding this year to help raise salaries for the lowest paid school workers. Moore unveiled on Tuesday a proposed budget for the 2023-24 school year that asks the Wake County Board of Commissioners to provide a 9% increase in funding. Under the proposed $2.1 billion operating budget, Moore wants $649 million from commissioners. The additional $55.8 million would provide raises for many employees, including increasing the current $16 an hour minimum salary for school support staff to $17 an hour. Moore told the school board that raising employee compensation is a priority during a period of high vacancy rates. The school board will hold a public hearing on the budget proposal on April 25 before voting on it May 2.
Source: News & Observer
Thank Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey for voicing his concerns over House Bill 346,(SB 296) Reorganization & Economic Development Act, which would threaten coverage and affordability for over 4 million North Carolinians. Specifically, BCBSNC could "restructure" itself by setting up a parent company that is NOT a regulated insurance company. This new parent company could take actions like investing assets out of state or increasing executive salaries, which could lead to higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs as well as diminished quality of care and services for North Carolinians. Check out the NC Justice Center fact sheet on why HB 346 is harmful. NASW-NC Opposes.
Other bills of interest:
- HB 623- The Kelly Spangler Study Bill; an act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services and other entities to study the exemption of allowing the use of the social worker title for local and state employees. Kelly was a beloved member of NASW-NC; you can read more about her beautiful life & exemplary social work legacy HERE. NASW-NC is a stakeholder of this study bill. NASW-NC SUPPORTS
- HB 476 - Increase Personal Needs Allowance/Medicaid. A bill to raise the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) for nursing home residents from $30.00 a month, where it has been since 1987. NC increased the PNA for assisted living residents in 2022 from $46 to $70 in 2022. This increase is needed for nursing home residents who have to purchase clothing, toiletries, hairstyling services, and cellphone bills out of pocket. NASW-NC supports this bill with community partners such as Friends of Residents in Long Term Care (FOR), and the NC Coalition on Aging (NCCOA), and AARP-NC. NASW-NC SUPPORTS
- SB 403- Prohibit Weapons at Voting Places. An act to prohibit the possession or carrying of a dangerous weapon at or within a certain distance of a voting place. NASW-NC SUPPORTS
- SB 437- Hate Crimes Prevention Act. An act to increase the scope and punishment of hate crimes by expanding the categories under which a crime will be elevated to a higher level offense as a hate crime to include crimes committed because of the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, religion, nationality, country of origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or sexual orientation of the victim or a person or group associated with the victim.
- HB 620 (SB 447)-Up Minimum Wages/No Subminimum or Exemptions; an act to increase the minimum wage to fifteen dollars per hours by 2025, and then adjust the minimum wage automatically each year by increases in cost of living, to end the subminimum wage for persons with disabilities, phase out subminimum wage for tipped employees, and end the exemption for agricultural, domestic, and incarcerated workers.
- HB 622- Menstrual Equity for All Act
- HB 552 (SB 467)- MOMnibus Act; an act that would entitle every person giving birth to be treated with dignity and respect during pregnancy and childbirth
- SB 471-Automatic Voter Registration; an act to provide automatic voter registration at driver’s license offices, public agencies, community colleges, and colleges and universities
- SB 555- Working Families Act; to reduce parent copayments for subsidized child care, reenact the child tax credit, increase state minimum wage to $15, grant local governments to set higher minimum wage, increase income eligibility limit for property tax homestead circuit breaker, create a homebuyers’ an assistance program with NCFA for first-time homebuyers, and enact the NC paid family leave insurance.
- SB 576- Shared Parenting; An act to establish a presumption of joint custody and shared parenting
- SB 625- Child Welfare, Safety, and Permanence Reforms; would change laws affecting juveniles and associated services
- SB 650- Gun Violence Prevention Act; an act to create the offense of possessing a firearm or weapon of mass death and destruction by a felon during the commission or attempted commission of a felony
Thank you to the members of NASW-NC for supporting the advocacy work we do. We would not be able to advocate for the social work profession or social justice issues in North Carolina without a robust and engaged NASW membership. If you are a social worker and not a member, we ask that you join NASW today. Our voice is louder with your membership.
Learn more about NASW-NC membership here.
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