In this week's update:
- 2025 Legislative Long Session Begins
- NASW-NC Releases 2025 Legislative Agenda
- NASW-NC's 2025 Legislative Agenda Priorities Webinar
- NC Supreme Court challenges continue
- 2025 Advocacy Day -March 5, 2025
- January is Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month
2025 Legislative Long Session Begins
The North Carolina House elected a new speaker for the first time in 10 years on Wednesday, choosing a young lieutenant to now-U.S. Rep. Tim Moore to preside over a Republican-controlled chamber focused on Hurricane Helene but likely needing Democratic help to keep advancing a conservative agenda.
Gathering for a one-day General Assembly meeting to seat lawmakers who won in November for the new two-year session, the House picked Rep. Destin Hall to succeed Moore after his record five two-year terms as speaker. The attorney, who represents a youth movement in the legislature at age 37, credited his success to grandparents who raised him in rural Caldwell County “that always believed in me.”
“Our number one job here is to make sure that we make it as easy as possible for the folks of our state to also live that American dream,” Hall said during his acceptance speech, citing economic, education and public safety improvements in the ninth-largest state among his goals.
The GOP-dominated Senate again reelected Sen. Phil Berger as its chamber leader. As the only GOP Senate president pro tempore since Republicans took over the General Assembly in 2011, Berger is second in longevity at the post to his predecessor the late Democratic Sen. Marc Basnight.
Republicans now hold the exact same seat margins as they did on opening day two years ago — a 71-49 advantage in the House and 30-20 in the Senate. That is one House seat short of holding veto-proof control of the General Assembly. The shortage was confirmed on Monday when the State Board of Elections certified a narrow Democratic victory for a House seat following recounts and election protests by the losing Republican incumbent.
In 2023, the GOP gained a seat in the House that April to secure the supermajority with a party switch. That helped Republicans override all of then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes during the two-year session, including one last month for a bill that eroded the powers of Josh Stein, who succeeded the term-limited Cooper as governor, and other Democrats elected to statewide office.
Now Democrats have enough seats where Stein could be more effective during the next two years in blocking permanently GOP measures that he vetoes. No such party-switch for the GOP is guaranteed during this session, but Hall told reporters he remained confident that Republicans would have a “working supermajority” in which Democrats would join them on certain issues to overcome vetoes.
The General Assembly, which resumes Jan. 29, will work to pass a two-year state budget by July. Republicans also are likely to again wrestle with legislation that would legalize medical marijuana and whether to authorize casinos in the state beyond those already operated by American Indian tribes.
Wednesday also marked the first public appearance in the Senate for Democrat Rachel Hunt as lieutenant governor. Hunt, a former House and Senate member, was elected to her new post. Presiding over Senate debate will be one of her chief responsibilities. Hunt’s father — four-term Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt — was elected lieutenant governor in 1972 and at age 87 attended Wednesday’s festivities. [Source]
Read the entire article here.
NASW-NC Releases 2025 Legislative Agenda
The NASW-NC Legislative Committee, with feedback from the Board of Directors & members of NASW-NC, has developed the NASW-NC 2025 Legislative Agenda. These items will be the focus of our advocacy efforts in the 2025 North Carolina Legislative Long Session (Learn more about North Carolina Legislative Sessions) to promote and protect the social work profession.
NASW-NC employs two registered lobbyists. NASW-NC is the only organization in North Carolina that lobbies on behalf of the entire social work profession. The members of NASW-NC support the lobbying and advocacy work of the social work profession in North Carolina and without NASW membership, this work would not be possible. If you are not a member of NASW, please join today to support the future of the social work profession in North Carolina.
Click Here for the 2025 Legislative Agenda.
NASW-NC's 2025 Legislative Agenda Priorities Webinar
Join NASW-NC's Director of Advocacy & Policy for an overview of our 2025 NC General Assembly Legislative Agenda, as well as what to expect during the Legislative Long Session. This webinar is free and open to NASW-NC members & non-members. 1 hour CE provided. You can read the 2025 NASW-NC Legislative Agenda here.
Date: January 30, 2025
Time: 12PM-1PM
Location: Virtual
FREE|1CE Hour
NC Supreme Court challenges continue
The North Carolina Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday blocking the state from certifying a winner in the race for a seat on the high court. Granting the request of Republican Jefferson Griffin, who trails his opponent, Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, by 734 votes, the court’s Republican majority issued a temporary stay that will prevent the State Board of Elections from certifying Riggs as the winner.
Anita Earls, the only other Democrat on the court alongside Riggs, dissented, writing that “the public interest requires that the court not interfere with the ordinary course of democratic processes as set by statute and the state constitution.”
Riggs recused herself from the case. The very court which Griffin aims to join will now hear his challenge of over 60,000 ballots cast in the election and potentially decide a winner in the race.
“Justice Allison Riggs won her seat fair and square and that will continue to be demonstrated before the courts,” Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said in a statement. “… We are in this position due to Jefferson Griffin refusing to accept the will of the people. He is hellbent on finding new ways to overthrow this election but we are confident that the evidence will show, like they did throughout multiple recounts, that she is the winner in this race.”
The decision comes just one day after a federal judge appointed by President-elect Donald Trump sent the case back to the state, in accordance with Griffin’s request.
The State Board of Elections appealed that decision to the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which has not yet weighed in.
Once the state Supreme Court achieved jurisdiction over the case on Monday, Griffin immediately requested that it block the state from certifying the election, which could have happened as early as Friday.
“Without an immediate stay of certification by the Board — one issued as early as possible — the board is likely to find new obstacles that procedurally bar any court from reaching the merits of Judge Griffin’s election protests,” his attorneys wrote in a court filing. Absent any action from the 4th Circuit, the state Supreme Court will retain jurisdiction over the dispute. Final briefs in the case are due Jan. 24. [Source]
NASW-NC PACE formally endorsed Justice Allison Riggs in the 2024 General Election.
2025 Advocacy Day -March 5, 2025
MARK YOUR CALENDERS! NASW-NC's 2025 Advocacy Day is WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025 in Downtown Raleigh! We will have a new location for morning orientation (sessions between 9AM-12PM) this year due to the NC History Museum being closed for renovation.
Read More Here: 2025 ADVOCACY DAY
New Location: Church on Morgan
136 E Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Church on Morgan's meeting space is like an auditorium, not with religious symbolism of any kind.
Church on Morgan is located (.4) miles/10 minute walk past the historic North Carolina State Capitol Building & then down Bicentennial Plaza to the NC General Assembly. Please make plans to park where you did for 2023 Advocacy Day!
That afternoon you will have in-person visits with your legislators on important 2024 Legislative Agenda items such as passage of the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact Bill! Registration and more information will be sent after the holidays in January 2025. We hope you can join us!
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON!
January is Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month
This month, #NASW partner #SAMHSA is celebrating the first national Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month. SAMHSA is using this month to highlight resources that connect people to the support, treatment and care they deserve. Find help here: samhsa.gov/observances/treatmentmonth
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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