NC Senate passes compromise masking bill as Democrats walk out over campaign finance reform addition
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Senate Republicans passed a compromised version of HB 237, part of a vote which sparked a walk-out from Senate Democrats.
The Unmasking Mobs and Criminals Act enacts more restrictions on wearing a mask in public and stronger penalties for those who wear a mask while committing a crime.
Last month, the House voted against the bill, following pushback from healthcare advocates and people with medical issues who felt it was too far-reaching. That vote led to a conference committee and updated text, which includes a specific exemption for "any person wearing a medical or surgical grade mask for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease." Other exemptions include masks for traditional holiday costumes, theatre productions and work-related reasons.
"The new language in the mask bill was suggested by DHHS to ensure that individuals who have legitimate health concerns can wear a surgical or medical-grade mask in public," said Lauren Horsch, Spokeswoman for Senate President Phil Berger, in a statement.
The bill states that a person must remove their mask upon request by law enforcement or by the owner of public or private property for the purposes of identification.
"I'm not sure it provides enough protection for people who have health concerns about protecting their health when they're in public. And there are a couple of provisions in there, I think, that raised a few questions," said Rep. Brandon Lofton, a Democrat who represents Mecklenburg County and serves as the House Legislative Chair.
While the first four sections of the bill read Thursday morning were about masking, the fifth section focused on campaign finance reform.
"The campaign finance changes in the bill are so significant that we did not even discuss or examine the mask provisions," said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, who represents Wake County and serves as the Senate Democratic Whip.
In response to the added section, Democrats protested the vote, walking out of the legislative chambers. Ultimately, all 28 Senate Republicans who were present supported the legislation. On the Democratic side, a dozen lawmakers, including Chaudhuri, were listed as "Not Voting," while the other eight Democrats were listed as "Excused Absence."
"It removes the compliance of a federal political action committee with state election laws. Those state election laws provide for additional disclosures of whether a millionaire, for example, makes a contribution to the Federal Election Political Action Committee and to it removes any registration that's required by the Political Action Committees, Treasurer or Deputy Treasurer. By removing the Treasurer from this bill, the State Board of Elections believes that there's some kind of campaign finance violation. They're not going to be able to subpoena anybody from that political action committee here in the state of North Carolina," Chaudhuri asserted.
He also criticized how the bill was introduced, through a conference committee, rather than as a standalone bill.
"It is a significant change that warrants more sunlight, more debate and more discussion by the public. The fact of the matter is, they tried to rush this through the dark of night, so to speak, without any discussion or debate that it would arise," said Chaudhuri.
"I think more transparency and more disclosure is good for democracy," added Lofton.
The bill now heads to the House.
(Source: ABC11)
Parts of Senate Bill 20 overturned
A North Carolina federal judge overruled a spate of new state laws that imposed new requirements on the use of Food and Drug Administration approved abortion pills. The ruling means that pregnant people can again take the medicine mifepristone at home and can obtain the medication from a pharmacy or by mail. New North Carolina laws had required people to take the medicine only in the physical presence of a licensed physician.
Additionally, an in-person follow-up visit is not required, though a requirement remains for people to have an in-person consultation 72 hours prior to taking the medicine. The lawsuit was brought by Dr. Amy Bryant, a UNC Health OB-GYN.
"Politicians in North Carolina cannot interfere with the FDA's authority and impose medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion care," Bryant said after the ruling.
The new laws were passed by the Republican-led state legislature. They mandated that only a licensed physician could provide the abortion drug mifepristone, that the medication had to be provided in person, that it required an in-person follow-up visit, and required reporting of all adverse events — including those that are not fatal. But these rules have already been considered and expressly rejected by the FDA. Therefore, Federal District Court Judge Catherine Eagles ruled that states cannot impose those specific added requirements.
"This case thus raises the question of whether and when a state can impose additional requirements on the distribution of an FDA-approved drug," Eagles wrote in a previous filing. "While this case concerns the distribution of a drug used to terminate a pregnancy, a similar case could arise over any drug, from FDA-approved thyroid or diabetes medications, drugs for cancer treatment, vaccinations, contraceptives, or opioids for pain management."
Eagles added in that same filing: "The Court finds and concludes that to the extent North Carolina law imposes safety restrictions on the distribution of the drug that the FDA has implemented and then later affirmatively rejected and removed, those laws frustrate the congressional goal of establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework under which the FDA determines conditions for safe drug distribution that do not create unnecessary burdens on the health care system or patient access."
The new North Carolina laws also required an in-person consultation 72 hours prior to taking mifepristone. Because that had not specifically been considered by the FDA, that new requirement was allowed to stand.
Bryant filed the lawsuit against Josh Stein in his capacity as Attorney General. However Stein, a Democrat running for governor, actually sided largely with Bryant, the plaintiff, and argued that parts of the law were unconstitutional. Legislative leaders Phil Berger and Tim Moore were allowed to join in to defend the laws. As of Tuesday afternoon, they had not indicated if they would appeal the ruling.
(Source: WUNC)
Bills to Watch:
SB 718, Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact
Click Here to Access NASW-NC Social Work Compact bill webpage!
UPDATE: Colorado is now the 19th state to pass the Social Work Interstate Licensing Compact Bill into law on June 3, 2024!
NASW-NC holds in-person meetings with NCGA legislators & staff weekly during short session around passage of SB 718!
The Social Work Interstate Licensing Compact Bill has been signed into law in the seventeen states required for the Compact Commission to be established!
The first bill to pass the legislation was Missouri on July 7, 2023. The other bills where it is law are South Dakota, Washington State, Utah, Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas Nebraska, Vermont, Iowa, Maine, Georgia, Alabama, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Minnesota. Thank you to the NASW chapters who took the lead in each of the states that have both ratified and introduced the compact in each of these states.
Additional states will be able to join the Compact Commission as soon as the legislation is passed in their state. The legislation has been introduced in 19 other states, including here in North Carolina. Senate Bill 718-Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact was introduced during the NC General Assembly Long Session in 2023 and is currently in the Rules Committee. NASW-NC has been working all year to ensure the Social Work Licensure Bill is passed during the short session which begins on April 24, 2024. Please be on the lookout for Advocacy Alerts & updates from us on how you can help us reach out to your legislators at the right time to help get it passed.
You can learn more about the Compact Bill by reading the NASW Press Release.
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month. Every day, more than 300 people are directly impacted by gun violence in the United States. Gun Violence Awareness Month was created to draw attention to this tragic reality and demand life-saving change.
#WearOrange Throughout June: The first Friday in June, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, is a reminder to us all that our nation’s gun violence epidemic rages every day whether or not it is talked about or reported on. We honor the communities shattered by gun violence alongside the more than 120 people who are shot and killed, and hundreds more who are wounded and traumatized, every day in our country.
We deserve more than to live in a country where firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. But as incidents of gun violence have grown, so too has the movement to stop it. By participating in Wear Orange online and in your community, we will organize, advocate, and rally for safer communities. Together we can build a future free from gun violence.
Learn more HERE.
June is #PrideMonth
Governor Cooper has proclaimed June LGBTQ+ Pride Month and NCDHHS joins the nation in celebrating our LGBTQ+ community. As we prepare for Pride celebrations through the fall, we want to alert Pride event organizers and attendees of available health resources to celebrate safely and protect their sexual health. Pride Month is celebrated nationwide each year in June, but events to celebrate Pride happen in NC through October. NCDHHS has developed a Pride Events and Resources website for pride event attendees and event organizers, including where to find mpox vaccines, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, PrEP and informative videos. Users can also find a list of 2024 Pride events and the Pride Resources page in Spanish. Go to the Take Pride Now webpage to learn more about protecting your sexual health.
Upcoming Advocacy Opportunities:
Community Spotlight Event: ENC’s Advocacy Day 2024 -RESCHEDULED
Due to unforeseen circumstances affecting the schedule of the legislative session this week and your representatives' availability to meet, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Advocacy Day, originally planned for Thursday, May 30. We know this might be disappointing, and we're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. This decision was made to ensure you all could meet with your representatives when you join us for Advocacy Day.
Rest assured, we have already rescheduled for Wednesday, June 12th, and will keep you updated as soon as we have more details. Please click on this link to confirm your participation at this year's Advocacy Day on June 12th: https://bit.ly/ENCAdvoDay24.
Thank you so much for your understanding and support. If you have any questions or need help, please feel free to reach out to us.
Take PRIDE in Your Health Summit
A healthy, fulfilled life means feeling good inside and OUT. Building an inclusive, accepting world lays the path for full happiness and health for LGBTQ+ people. Join Trillium as we work towards that world and strengthen health for all. Speakers will present about mental health needs for youth, HIV/AIDS, and more for the LGBTQ+ community. We will also share about the background for the PRIDE movement and the important activism it encourages.
Date/Time: Tuesday, June 18, 2024, 10:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, 3121 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC
Attend: Register for summit
Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, will provide the opening remarks.
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
