Governor Cooper vetoes SB 747 - Election Law Changes 
Governor Roy Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 747, the dangerous election bill that makes it harder for people, especially young people, college students away from home and people of color to vote and for their votes to count. The Governor also plans to veto Senate Bill 749 if it reaches his desk as drafted. NASW-NC strongly opposes both bills. 

Among other changes that restrict voting, Senate Bill 747:
• Shortens the time an absentee ballot can be accepted to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, even if a delay is the fault of the US Postal Service, potentially disenfranchising thousands of voters.
• Requires an unreliable and unworkable “signature match” in certain counties.
• Makes it too easy for absentee ballots to get thrown out for minor issues.
• Prioritizes partisan poll “observers” despite objections from a bipartisan group of county election board members across the state.
• Fails to properly fund elections at the county and state level.

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his veto of SB 747:
“This legislation has nothing to do with election security and everything to do with Republicans keeping and gaining power. In working to erect new barriers for younger and non-white voters, many of whom use early voting and absentee ballots, this bill also hurts older adults, rural voters and people with disabilities. It requires valid votes to be tossed out if the post office delivers them even one minute after 7:30 p.m. on Election Day or if a computer rejects a signature. It encourages voter intimidation at the polls by election deniers and conspiracy believers. North Carolina has conducted fair and secure elections but this bill will block voters and their ballots unnecessarily". 

Click to sign DemocracyNC's Action Alert > Tell NC lawmakers to sustain Governor Cooper's veto for SB 747!

Click here to read: Statewide Advocacy Groups Urge Governor Cooper to Veto Anti-Voter SB 747

Budget Delays Continue 
Many large public school systems across North Carolina are returning to school with no 2023-2024 budget in place.  They are operating on last year's budget. Senate Leader Phil Berger has not said anything besides he anticipates the budget negotiations will begin the week of September 11th.  This is also further delaying Medicaid Expansion, which needed the budget to be passed by September 1st for a roll-out of October 1st. This is life and death as individuals are being dropped in July and August, and now we anticipate September from Medicaid.  Please read this article from our partners at the NC Budget & Tax Center on the harm the proposed tax cuts in the budget from the Republicans will cost North Carolina. 

Tax triggers are trouble: NC leaders’ latest design for tax cuts won’t improve our lives

SB 49-Parent's Bill of Rights Impact -NASW-NC strongly opposed. 
North Carolina’s new “Parents’ Bill of Rights” could lead to immediate changes when classes start next week, including how schools deal with topics such as gender identity and pronoun usage.  The legislation, which became law last week after Republican lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, now requires schools to notify parents if their child wants to use a different name or pronoun. Some books may no longer be used by teachers to avoid the law’s new ban on “instruction in gender identity, sexual activity and sexuality” in the curriculum in kindergarten through fourth-grade classrooms.
“It will intimidate some educators because their intention was to bully teachers so we’d fear reprisal,” Jasmine Barcelona, a Wake County elementary school literacy coach, said in an interview. “They want this to be in the law so that teachers will be afraid to stand up for students who may be LGBTQ.”
The notification requirement for name and pronoun change is meant to help parents find out if their children are questioning their gender. Sen. Amy Galey, an Alamance County Republican, said withholding that information from parents would be a ”conspiracy to hide an essential truth about the mental health of their child.”
Opponents of the law say it could lead to LGBTQ students being outed to parents who won’t accept them. “It should just be up to any queer or trans person when to come out to their family, not the government or their school,” Emma Chinn, communications and policy manager for the Campaign for Southern Equality, said in an interview.
The new notification requirements may also cause students to stop confiding in teachers and other school employees, Mackey said. “What we’ve done now is make students less likely to turn to trusted adults, which means they’ll turn to each other more, which I don’t think is helpful for students who are struggling with their mental health,” Mackey said.
The new law could also cause K-4 teachers to stop using books for diversity lessons that include LGBTQ families, according to Rebby Kern, director of education policy at Equality NC. Kern is also worried that the bill could cause teachers in upper grades to make changes. “This bill is working a lot of fear,” Kern said in an interview. “Educators are going to be fearful. Even if they are educators in grades five and up, they may rethink some of their equity lessons simply because of the rhetoric the bill has inspired.”
Some school districts, such as Chapel Hill-Carrboro, have spoken out against the Parents’ Bill of Rights, as well as another new law that restricts gender-affirming care for minors.  School districts are also waiting for guidance from the N.C. School Boards Association. 

Read the entire article here:  NC schools must now follow 'Parents' Bill of Rights'. Here's how things could change. (News and Observer)

August 26th is Women's Equality Day.  The US Congress designated this date back in 1973. The observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.

North Carolina Commerce Secretary Michelle Baker Sanders released the following statement: "This Women’s Equality Day is a call to action like no other. This day serves as a stark reminder of the setbacks we’ve had and of the hard work ahead of us to fight for women’s rights – across the globe and right here in our own backyards. Improving the status of women in North Carolina and worldwide means standing up for equal and basic human rights, reproductive and healthcare rights, voting rights, access to education and childcare, and pay parity. The bottom-line numbers don’t lie. These are not just women’s issues – they are family, community, business, and economic issues. And that makes them North Carolina issues.”

Read Governor Cooper's proclamation on Women's Equality Day here. 

PBS North Carolina to Broadcast 'NCImpact' Town Halls About Mental Health 
PBS North Carolina and the UNC School of Government announce the broadcast premiere of four ncIMPACT town halls about mental health. Moderated by ncIMPACT host and UNC School of Government Professor Anita Brown-Graham, the town halls explore mental health challenges faced by key populations in North Carolina and innovative approaches that foster resilience. 

Each town hall focuses on a specific group particularly impacted by mental health issues like depression, suicide, trauma and substance use. These groups include youth and young adults, veterans, older adults and people impacted by the justice system.

Broadcast Schedule 
ncIMPACT airs Fridays, 7:30 PM, on PBS NC. Stream anytime online or on the PBS App.  

Mental Health Town Hall: Youth and Young Adults 
Premieres Friday, September 1, 7:30 PM 

Mental Health Town Hall: Veterans 
Premieres Friday, September 8, 7:30 PM 

Mental Health Town Hall: Older Adults 
Premieres Friday, September 15, 7:30 PM  

Mental Health Town Hall: People Impacted by the Justice System 
Premieres Friday, September 22, 7:30 PM 

What is #UniteNC?
Pro-Choice North Carolina is excited to join with our partners at Common Cause North Carolina and other organizations across the state for a series of #UniteNC town halls! This is a fantastic opportunity to build our shared power and hold lawmakers accountable. Pro-Choice North Carolina will have materials at all town halls and we’ll be in-person at some of them, too. 

If you're concerned about harmful policies in the state legislature like attacks on abortion access, upcoming elections, and redistricting, join us and speak up for people-first policies!

• September 5: Hendersonville (Henderson)
• September 6: Brevard (Transylvania)
• September 7: Sylva (Jackson)
• September 11: Pitt [Greenville]
• September 12: Scotland’s Neck (Halifax)
• September 14: Hoke / Scotland [Wagram]
• September 18: Cabarrus [Kannapolis]
• September 19: Catawba [Hickory]

And there are more #UniteNC town halls to come…stay tuned! You can register and learn more by clicking HERE.  

Read Editorial: Town hall by town hall, some stirrings of democracy in North Carolina 

NC county election boards can now issue free ID cards for new voting mandate

Add election offices in all 100 counties to places where North Carolina voters can obtain photo identification cards that comply with the state’s voter ID mandate taking effect with this year’s municipal elections. Free IDs are also available at Division of Motor Vehicles offices. 

From the NC State Board of Elections: View and download our new resource on North Carolina's voter ID requirement. Learn about the state law and what you need to cast your vote in 2023:http://bit.ly/3qQudaU

REMINDER: All county boards of elections can now print FREE photo ID cards for registered voters in their county who need an acceptable form of ID. Press release: http://bit.ly/3rUePe7

Source: WUNC     

Item to Watch: 
SB 90- Searches of Student's Person (Children's Law Omnibus) was re-submitted to the K-12 Education Committee with several PCS (proposed committee substitutes) that would change how social workers can support children with their mental health.  The PCS version of the bill would clarify that minors have no authority to consent to mental health treatment unless they believe themselves to be a danger to themselves or others.  NASW-NC OPPOSES ALL PCS SUBMITTED. 

• Challenge school library books and prosecute librarians
• Challenge instructional materials
• Force a superintendent to be dismissed or receive a reduction in pay
• Request for their child to be reassigned to another school or district
• Be informed if their child identifies as transgender or is at risk of suicide
• Prohibit instruction on gender identity, sexual activity and sexuality in fourth and fifth grade
• State that charter schools are not state actors, potentially giving them more leeway to institute dress codes 
   

Due to public backlash and media coverage, SB 90 was pulled from the committee calendar.  Please be on the lookout for more information from NASW-NC if it is reintroduced during this legislative session. 

You can see a copy of SB 90 with the PCS changes by clicking HERE. 

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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