Republicans to override Governor's vetoes

North Carolina lawmakers hope to override vetoes on five bills Tuesday, a move that — if successful — would pass into law a pair of election bills, another bill rolling back business regulations, one sapping power from the governor’s office and another bill on energy policy.

Speaker of the House Tim Moore laid out the timetable Thursday, saying he expects the legislature’s Republican supermajority to make quick work of the overrides. The votes would resolve much of the legislature’s outstanding business for the year, though a handful of bills are still being negotiated and may be ready to move on Tuesday, Moore said.

The General Assembly also plans to redraw legislative and congressional election maps this year. Moore, R-Cleveland, said map drafts could be ready for public release late next week. Key Republican lawmakers have been in Raleigh this week drawing those maps behind closed doors, and the maps that emerge likely will be used in next year’s General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives races.

Once the new maps are approved, the legislature may be done voting until next spring, Moore said, though the new maps and election bills are expected to spark lawsuits that could require the General Assembly to take further action. Moore said the body will likely to stay in session to handle those issues, even if it doesn’t regularly conduct business.

The vetoed bills lawmakers plan to take up Tuesday are:

• Senate Bill 747, a collection of election law changes, including an end for the current three-day grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive after Election Day. Ballots would have to arrive at local boards of election by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to count.
• Senate Bill 749, which overhauls the State Board of Elections as well as county boards of elections. Instead of bodies appointed by the governor, and on which the governor’s political party holds a one-seat majority, the bill creates boards appointed by the General Assembly, with an even split of Republicans and Democrats. Republicans say the bipartisanship is only fair, but Democrats fear the boards will deadlock, kicking key decisions about elections up to the General Assembly, which Republicans control.
• Senate Bill 512, which reworks appointments to several key state boards, generally taking appointments from the governor as part of a long legislative push to strip the Democratic governor of power.
• Senate Bill 678, which incentivizes nuclear power by rewriting state laws promoting “renewable energy” to say “clean energy” instead.
• House Bill 600, which is 46 pages of changes to various business and environmental regulations.

The Republican majority has overturned every veto Cooper has issued this session. So far that’s 13 bills. The five they’ll deal with next week would make it 18. Republicans hold veto-proof supermajorities in both legislative chambers, due in part to a surprise party switch earlier this year. 

Source: WRAL          

Governor Roy Cooper signed the following bills into law:

• House Bill 125: NC Health & Human Services Workforce Act.
• House Bill 142: Protect Our Students Act.-AB
• Senate Bill 211: Permit Multistate Water/Sewer Authority.
• Senate Bill 579: Prevent Harm to Children.
• Senate Bill 477: Amend Bus. Corp. Act/Bus. Opp. Disclosures.
• Senate Bill 531: Dam Safety Law Clarification.
• House Bill 8: Various Statutory Changes.

Governor Cooper also vetoed the following bills:

• House Bill 600: Regulatory Reform Act of 2023.
• Senate Bill 678: Clean Energy/Other Changes.

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his veto of HB 600:

"This bill is a hodgepodge of bad provisions that will result in dirtier water, discriminatory permitting and threats to North Carolina’s environment. It also undoes a significant policy to promote fairness in state contracting for historically underutilized businesses as it blocks efforts to encourage diverse suppliers for state purchases, rules that would save taxpayer dollars and help businesses grow. The rules mirror the successful approach used for 18 years in state construction contracting and they were enacted with extensive feedback from state agencies and vendors and they were approved by the Rules Review Commission, which has all of its members appointed by the Republican controlled legislature."

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his veto of SB 678:

"North Carolina is on a bipartisan path to removing carbon from our electric power sector in the most cost-effective way. This bill attempts to diverge from that path by trying to put construction of traditional power plants, and higher profits for the utility companies, over lower-cost solutions like energy efficiency. North Carolina should consider all pathways to decarbonize, rather than putting a thumb on the scale in favor of building new conventional generation."

Governor Cooper also declined to sign three bills into law:

• House Bill 259: 2023 Appropriations Act.
• House Bill 361: Require Report/Protection & Advocacy Agency.
• Senate Bill 452: DOI & Ins Law Amd/Revise HS Athletics.

Governor Cooper made the following statement on declining to sign SB 452 into law:

"This legislation includes important auto insurance changes that will help provide more protection for North Carolina motorists. However, the late-night changes to high school sports governance are a solution in search of a problem. Legislators shouldn’t insert politics into schools and sports but instead allow the bipartisan compromise approved last session to continue so students can compete fairly with the support they need."

Source: NCGovernor

#NASW Action Alert: The Integrating Social Workers Across Health Care Settings Act (H.R. 4638) has been introduced in the US House. Make your voice heard. Urge your member of Congress to support H.R. 4638 to allow clinical social workers to bill for services within their existing state scope of practice:  https://www.votervoice.net/NASW/campaigns/108048/respond 

Medicaid Expansion
Beginning December 1, 2023, more North Carolinians will be able to get health coverage through NC Medicaid. This will be a game changer for the more than 600,000 people who will be able to access health care and is the most significant investment in the health of our state in decades. Thank you to the many partners that have helped make this a reality.   

Now we need your help to be sure that North Carolinians know who is eligible and how to apply. We have a new website, bilingual toolkit, and a sign-up form to stay updated on the most current information about how more North Carolinians will be able to get health coverage through NC Medicaid. 

To stay updated with the latest information, be notified when the application process goes live, and receive the newest resources, complete this sign-up form.

Thank you for helping more people in your communities get health coverage through NC Medicaid. Together we will ensure more than 600,000 people gain access to health care across North Carolina. 

Source: NCDHHS 

Click Here to access NASW-NC's toolkit for Medicaid Expansion.

Final 2023 NC Budget - What it means for social work
The North Carolina General Assembly passed a $30 billion dollar state budget, after a delay of 84 days. The fiscal year began on July 1, 2023. The budget was passed in the NC House 70-40 with (5) Democrats joining Republicans and in the NC Senate along party lines in a vote of 28-19. It was presented to Governor Cooper for his signature on September 22, 2023 and became law without his signature on October 2, 2023.

Most notably, the passing of the budget finally expands Medicaid in North Carolina. The NC Department of Health and Human Services announced Medicaid Expansion will begin on December 1,2023. This will give health insurance to over 600,000 additional North Carolinians. NASW-NC has advocated for Medicaid Expansion for over ten years and this was one of our top legislative priorities for 2023.

Restoring Master’s Level Pay for School Social Workers was not included in the final budget. This was another top legislative priority for NASW-NC in 2023. NASW-NC will continue to advocate for restoring for Master’s Level Pay for School Social Workers.

The final budget is 625 pages in length. Here is a summary of budget items of interest to North Carolina social workers:

• Raises for teachers, state employees: 4% raise for this fiscal year (retroactive to July 1st) and 3% raise next fiscal year. Beginner teacher pay will increase from $37,000-$39,000 and up to $41,000 next year. More experienced teachers will see smaller pay raises between $1,000-$1,800 per year. Falls very short of increases asked for by Governor Cooper; State Employees Association of NC, and teacher groups.
• State Employee Retirees: One time cost of living supplement of 4% to be paid on or before November 30, 2023.
• Tax cuts: Accelerates planned cuts to the state's personal income tax rate. The state's current rate is 4.99% and will decrease to 4.6% in 2024, 4.25% in 2025 and 3.99% in 2026 and beyond.

Click Here to read the entire Budget Summary. 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held in October every year, aims to promote screening and prevention of the disease, which affects one in eight women in the United States every year and 2.3 million women worldwide. Known best for its pink theme color, the month features a number of campaigns and programs — conducted by groups ranging from breast cancer advocacy organizations to local community organizations to major retailers — aimed at:      

• supporting people diagnosed with breast cancer, including metastatic breast cancer
• educating people about breast cancer risk factors
• stressing the importance of regular screening, starting at age 40 or an age that’s appropriate for your personal breast cancer
• fundraising for breast cancer research
  Source: Breastcancer.org.

Read: A Proclamation on National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 2023  

Voting Information

In 2023, there are three municipal election dates in North Carolina:         

• Tuesday, Oct. 10 ELECTION DAY (various municipalities)
• Thursday, Oct. 19: One-stop, in-person early voting begins for November municipal elections.
• Saturday, Nov. 4: One-stop, in-person early voting ends for November municipal elections.
• Tuesday, Nov. 7 ELECTION DAY (various municipalities)

 
Check out our NASW-NC's Election Page HERE. 

What is #UniteNC?
The #UniteNC Town Hall tour — designed to educate our communities about what happened in the General Assembly this year and to hold state lawmakers accountable — finishes up in October, with seven final stops between now and October 26th. Thank you to everyone’s who’s played a crucial role so far in reaching 1200+ North Carolinians from Sylva to Manteo and everywhere in between. By the time we’re finished, we will have held 25 town halls together over the course of 3 months!

For those interested in joining us for the last few stops or encouraging your supporters to attend, the schedule and RSVP links are below. We’d really love your support in spreading the word!

And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. The tour home page is at ccnc.me/UniteNC. All events start at 6:30pm unless otherwise stated.

FINAL EVENTS

• October 11th: Asheville, NC [Buncombe County]
• October 12th: Boone, NC [Watauga County]
• October 16th: Havelock, NC [Craven + Carteret counties]
• October 25th: Graham, NC [Alamance County] (will begin at 6pm ET and end at 8pm ET)
  • ~Spanish language interpretation available~

October 26th: Winston-Salem, NC [Forsyth County]

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.

Want this information sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for weekly NASW-NC legislative updates: https://votervoice.net/NASWNC/home