The last few weeks have been a whirlwind at the North Carolina General Assembly with bills being amended and pushed through committees. Legislative leadership appointed members to serve on a Conference Committee to develop one statewide budget. NASW-NC sent a list of budget priorities to every member appointed. The list includes expanding Medicaid, restoring master’s pay for school social workers, and much more. NASW-NC has learned that budget negotiations have stalled. The NASW-NC Legislative Committee is working to communicate with lawmakers that our state needs a budget and cannot wait another two years to implement one.
North Carolina Senators also took up and passed House Bill 324 Ensuring Dignity and Nondiscrimination/Schools. Senators originally announced they would propose a Constitutional Amendment for this legislation. However, they abandoned those plans this week and made minor changes to the House's proposal. NASW-NC is OPPOSED to this legislation and issued an action alert asking social workers to contact their Senators and ask them to vote no on the legislation. The bill now requires a concurrence vote in the House before going to Governor Cooper. NASW-NC strongly opposes any legislation that would restrict what students are taught about our nation’s complicated racial history and its repercussions in the inequities that persist in our society. NASW is “committed to social justice for all and ending racism. Discrimination and prejudice directed against any group are damaging to the social, emotional, and economic well-being of the affected group and of society as a whole.”
Other bills of interest with legislative action:
HB 769 Foster Parent’s Bill of Rights: This legislation establishes and recognizes rights of foster parents. This includes having access to information and support to best serve their foster children. The bill passed the Senate and goes back to the House for a concurrence vote.
HB 608 Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated: This bipartisan legislation aims to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant inmates such as prohibiting shackling while in labor. It also requires necessary postpartum care and access to hygiene products. The bill passed the Senate and goes back to the House for a concurrence vote.
SB 207Various Raise the Age Changes/JJAC Recs: This legislation makes changes to the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act. The bill modifies the minimum age of a delinquent juvenile and modifies the law dealing with juvenile court mental health assessments. We had originally hoped the bill would modify the minimum age to age 10 (currently age 6) but lawmakers changed that to age 8 for most felonies and age 10 for misdemeanors and low-level felonies. The bill was sent to Governor Cooper to sign into law.
SB 300 Criminal Justice Reform: This bipartisan bill does a number of things in response to violence by police officers including the requirement for officers to intervene when they see another officer using excessive force. It requires psychological screening and training on mental health for new officers, requires mandatory training on mental health, community policing, minority sensitivity, and duty to intervene, and much more. The bill passed and was sent to the Governor.
Lastly, we are THRILLED to announce that Governor Cooper signed SB 35 into law on Thursday, August 26. SB 35 Max 4-year Age Difference to Marry Under 18 Yearsbans the marriage of youth under the age of 16. The bill also bans 16- and 17-year-olds from marrying someone who is four years older. We are so grateful to the NASW-NC Legislative Committee and coalition partners for making this happen with bipartisan support.
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