NASW-NC Legislative Session Update: House Budget Details and Redistricting

North Carolina legislators returned to work last week and jumped into moving a few bills and releasing some details of the House budget. They also began redistricting discussions (details below).

The House moved Senate Bill 35 which amends child marriage laws in North Carolina to the Rules Committee. The bill prohibits anyone under 14 years old to marry. Additionally, the bill provides a maximum four-year age difference for persons over 16 and under 18 to marry and would require them to file a certified copy of an order issued by a district court judge allowing the marriage. The bill passed with no debate and will be heard on the House floor soon, likely this week. This is a big step for in North Carolina and goes a long way in protecting our youth. This is an NASW-NC legislative priority.

The Senate also passed House Bill 96. This bill allows pharmacists to administer FDA-approved vaccines such as the HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, oral and transdermal contraceptives, prenatal vitamins, and more. A more controversial provision to the bill requires parental consent for a vaccine that has been approved for emergency use by the FDA. The House approved Senate changes and the bill now goes to the Governor.

Details of the House Budget

• Home and Community Care Block Grant Expansion: Provides additional funding for the Home and Community Care Block Grant (HCCBG), which provides in-home and community-based services for older adults and their unpaid primary caregivers. This expansion will reduce the HCCBG waitlist by an estimated 1,500 individuals.
• Virtual Behavioral Health Services: Provides funding from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund to the Office of Rural Health to establish a competitive grant program to support virtual behavioral health services. $10.0 million is provided for fiscal year 2021-22.
• NC MedAssist: Provides funds for additional prescription assistance services for indigent and uninsured persons.
• Innovations Waiver: Provides funding to allow an additional 1,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access services through the State's Medicaid innovations waiver, 800 new slots effective January 1, 2022 and 200 slots effective no later than October 1, 2022.
• Medicaid Expansion: The House budget does NOT include Medicaid Expansion, nor does it allow for Medicaid extension to postpartum birthing parents like the Senate budget allows for. The House budget does include a provision to allow a parent to retain Medicaid eligibility when their child is temporarily placed in foster care (this is also in the Senate budget).
• Medicaid Copayments: Increases copayments to $4, effective July 1, 2022. Medicaid payments to providers will be adjusted to account for the $1-2 increase in the copayments.
• Group Homes: Pay rate increase for providers at care facilities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). $1.8 million is provided for short-term financial assistance for group homes. Lastly, $15 million is provided each year for group home stabilization and transition.
• Child Welfare: In accordance to legislation passed under Rylan’s Law in 2017 which established a committee to oversee needed changes to how our state operates county Departments of Social Services (DSS) administration and policies, the House budget provides for the creation of seven regional supervision offices to oversee DSS’ and begin standardizing policies and administration.
• Telehealth: Language from House Bill 149 Improving Access to Telehealth is included in the House budget proposal. 
• Transitional Living Support for Youth Reentering the Community: Provides funding to expand wraparound services for youth who are transitioning from Youth Development Centers into their communities. Funds will expand capacity and necessary services to address the increase in youth detention following the passage of Raise the Age legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Treatment for Effective Community Supervision: Provides $1 million for community supervision programs, including short term housing, recidivism reduction services, and social programming for offenders reentering the community due to the settlement in NC NAACP v. Cooper to reduce the prison population as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Helpful budget links

• NASW-NC’s overview of the Governor’s budget proposal
• NASW-NC’s overview of the Senate budget proposal
• House Budget Health and Human Services Budget Proposal Special Provisions
• House Budget Health and Human Services Budget Proposal Committee Report

Redistricting

House and Senate members have kicked off the start of our state’s redistricting process by scheduling a few meetings last week and this week in anticipation of the U.S. Census data being released this week (likely August 12). As part of their process, they are welcoming public comments on House, Senate, and Congressional district plans. You can even schedule an appointment to come to the legislature and help draw maps. Comments can be submitted here: https://www.ncleg.gov/requestforcomments/38