2023 NASW-NC Legislative Session Update: Week 22
Happy Pride Month!
NASW-NC stands with the LGBTQ+ community, especially those that are trans and gender expansive. This pride month we celebrate LGBTQ+ folks and acknowledge the fight to achieve LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion is not over. Learn more about NASW-NC legislative advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues here.
Governor Cooper Proclaims June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month to honor the state’s LGBTQ+ community, the ongoing fight for equality and North Carolina’s efforts to create a welcoming community for all.
“This month we recognize and celebrate our LGBTQ+ community and recommit ourselves to striving for equality,” said Governor Cooper. “It’s on all of us to continue to work to ensure that North Carolina is a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.”
Governor Cooper has worked to make North Carolina a safe and welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, taking steps to ensure protection for LGBTQ+ individuals within all spheres of life. In October 2017, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order No. 24 which prohibits employment discrimination in the Governor’s administration on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The order also prohibits the same employment discrimination for all entities engaging in business with the state. The Order also created the NC Commission on Inclusion to identify policies and actions to address discrimination and harassment and promote inclusivity.
In August 2019, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 97, making North Carolina the first state in the South to ban state funding for conversion therapy for minors. Governor Cooper’s administration continues to work to support the LGBTQ+ community. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provides guidance and instruction to child welfare workers and foster families to provide affirming care to the LGBTQ+ youth they serve. Cabinet agencies have created new positions and offices to increase diversity, equity and inclusion across areas of the state government —including the first Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in a North Carolina Governor’s Office.
Read the Proclamation
Congressional Update: Urge Your U.S. Representative to Cosponsor the MSWs in Libraries Act (H.R. 3006)
Social workers have long served their clients in a wide variety of settings. One setting where social work services could be expanded is in public libraries. Libraries benefit communities in a variety of ways and often serve as community hubs.
The More Social Workers (MSWs) in Libraries Act (H.R. 3006) provides a key step in increasing the availability of social work services in communities through libraries.
The bill will help reinforce America’s social worker talent pipeline by creating a paid social worker internship program at public libraries across our nation. Specifically, under the MSWs in Libraries Act, the Department of Education would develop a program to provide competitive grants to institutions of higher education that would be used to:
• fund an internship for social work university students in a regional public library; and
• employ a qualified social worker in a regional public library to oversee social work student interns
Read the Press Release from Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), lead sponsor of the bill. It is cosponsored by Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) and Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03). All three of them are social workers.
Take action now and ask your U.S. Representative to sign on as a cosponsor of the MSWs in Libraries Act (H.R. 3006).
North Carolina SB 747 - Elections Law Changes. An act to make various changes regarding election laws.
• Allow extremists to violate our privacy and challenge legitimate ballots.
• Narrow the window for voters to return their mailed absentee ballot, which could lead to thousands of votes being thrown out.
• Upend same-day registration for hundreds of thousands of North Carolina voters and further burden election officials.
• Ban resources used by almost all NC counties to run safe and secure elections.
Senate Bill 747 is yet another anti-voter scheme that would create unfair barriers to casting a ballot, for no good reason.
If you believe that North Carolina voters — NOT anti-voter extremists — should decide how our elections are run, contact your lawmakers NOW and demand they oppose SB747. (from Common Cause NC)
TELL YOUR LAWMAKERS: VOTE NO ON SB747
The Office of Governor Roy Cooper wants to hear about your ideas for achieving environmental justice in North Carolina.
June 17th, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Location: Camino Center, 201 Stetson Dr, Charlotte, NC 28262
Snacks, childcare, and Spanish interpretation services will be provided.
If you would like to preview topics that will be discussed and/or provide feedback online, please click the button below.
The North Carolina General Assembly recently voted to override Governor Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 20 - Care for Women, Children and Families Act. This bill bans abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy with narrow exceptions and implements harsh new restrictions on abortion even before 12 weeks. The main takeaway is that abortion access is still available and will not be changed in North Carolina until July 1st.
Please join Pro-Choice North Carolina on Wednesday, June 14th, at 6:30pm as we talk with North Carolina State Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls about what it means to guarantee equal justice under the law and how that relates to reproductive rights.
You can register here for the Zoom webinar: https://prochoicenc.org/FairCourts
June is National Immigrant Heritage Month: Read: A Proclamation on National Immigrant Heritage Month, 2023 | The White House
Read: Celebrating National Immigrant Heritage Month - United States Department of State
Bills of Interest:
HB 347 - Sports Wagering/Horse Racing Wagering. An act to authorize and regulate wagering on professional, college, and amateur sports and on horse racing in North Carolina, and to authorize live horse racing in North Carolina. The House gave a bill to legalize sports betting final approval on Wednesday, sending it to the desk of Gov. Roy Cooper, who is likely to approve it. Lawmakers passed the bill 69-44, with bipartisan support and opposition. If approved by Cooper, sports betting would become legal throughout the state within 12 months. Betting operators would be taxed at 18% of gross wagering revenue, money which will go to UNC System schools and gambling addiction programs. The bill’s passage is the successful culmination of an effort that began one year ago, when a similar bill worked its way through the legislature only to fail by one vote on the House floor.
Source: NCInsider
HB 551 - Landlord-Tenant and HOA Charges. NASW-OPPOSES. HB 551 is an omnibus bill for landlord interests. It includes several sections that housing advocates object to — including a new requirement that could increase business for the pet-vetting company owned by the bill's sponsor. House Bill 551 has four parts, three of which impact landlord-tenant relationships.
- The bill bans cities and counties from enacting source of income non-discrimination policies. That means no local governments could institute protections for those who use Section 8 funding or VASH vouchers, which provide housing for veterans.
- Another element of the bill that impacts the landlord-tenant relationship touches on pet policies. It would require tenants with service of support animals to provide written verification from health professionals on both their disability and then their requirement of a service or support animal.
- The bill also targets tenants in other ways: for example, it specifically allows landlords to seek to recoup legal fees if a tenant appeals an eviction, among other financial damages related to litigation.
Please be on the lookout for action alerts to contact your legislators when HB 551 is moved out of NC Senate Rules for a vote.
SB 748 - Voter Fraud Protection Act.
Democrats in the state Senate filed SB 748 Tuesday, dubbed the “Voter Fraud Protection Act.” The bill would require a special election to be triggered if members of the General Assembly change party affiliation during their terms of office with more than six months remaining on their terms. It would also require campaign contributions to a party-switching member to be refunded, if requested. The bill is in response to state Rep. Tricia Cotham switching to the Republican Party in April, giving Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in the General Assembly. At a Tuesday press conference, Democratic state Sens. Sydney Batch, Michael Garrett and Natasha Marcus spoke along with “constituents who have recently been impacted.” Marcus argued that voters frequently rely on a candidate’s party affiliation to decide on what candidates to vote for, describing the bill as a “nonpartisan” bill that “promotes accountability and integrity”. She implied that switching parties is likened to fraud, and voters should have some option for financial recourse. Garrett then clarified that the bill would, under his interpretation, not apply to those who switch to unaffiliated as they are not an organized party in North Carolina. This happened most recently in 2015, when state Rep. Paul Tine changed his affiliation from Democrat to unaffiliated.
Source: NCInsider
HB 762 - School Social Workers/Master's Pay as a stand alone bill was heard in the House Education Committee on May 30th. Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers was included in the Governor's & House versions of the Budget. However, it was cut from the Senate version. NASW-NC and the NC School Social Workers Association (NCSSWA) were present at the NC General Assembly to advocate for this legislation. It passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee and is now in the Appropriations Committee, where we hope it will be included in the final version of the 2023 Budget.
Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact Update
SB 718 was not subjected to the final bill crossover deadline of May 4th. This means we still have the rest of the 2023 Legislative Session to get the bill passed in both chambers and signed into law by Governor Cooper. We are optimistic the bill will pass. Since only Republican-sponsored bills have moved this session, we are pitching the Compact as primarily a bill to support military spouses. The Social Work Compact creation was initiated by the Department of Defense to promote licensure portability for military spouses. You can read about that here: Interstate Licensure Compact for Social Work (socialworkers.org) A large number of Republican lawmakers, who have the supermajority in both the House and Senate, are very supportive of bills that support military populations and NASW-NC is working on getting support to advance the bill before session ends. Please be on the lookout for action alerts to contact your legislators to support the Social Work Licensure Compact.
More information about the Social Work Licensure Compact can be found here: https://swcompact.org
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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