2023 NASW-NC Legislative Session Update Week 27: Budget Update

2023 NASW-NC Legislative Session Update: Week 27

2023 Budget Update
The State of NC Budget has been late since July 1, 2023. As a result, this is costing tax-payers additional money as lawmakers are going into overtime procedures to cover their expenses. This is also delaying the implementation of Medicaid Expansion, HB76- Access to Healthcare Options, which can mean the difference of life or death for thousands of North Carolinians needing access to healthcare. Governor Cooper and NC Democrats have called for the NC Republicans to remove Medicaid Expansion from the budget, which is not expected to pass now until the end of August.

No North Carolina budget vote until August, top House member says (WRAL)

We need to come together to demand NC lawmakers listen to the people of North Carolina who want our money to fund public schools, public health, healthy environments, and safe communities. The NC Senate tax plan is an unacceptable option for North Carolina that is being considered by state lawmakers as part of the final steps in establishing the state’s budget for the next two years. Now is a critical time to make your voice heard in the NC budget process! Contact your lawmaker TODAY!

Action Alert: Take Action Here & contact House Conference Committee Members, https://ncbudget.org/budget2023/

NC DHHS Update:
The repeatedly delayed rollout of specialized health care plans for tens of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries — those with complex, often behavioral health needs — has been postponed indefinitely, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday. This marks the third time the state has pushed back the launch of so-called tailored plans for individuals who require more extensive care and support than average Medicaid enrollees. DHHS originally said these groups would be moved to tailored plans in December 2022 before delaying the launch to this April and then again to October. In a news release announcing the latest postponement, the agency said it is “not able to announce a certain go-forward date at this time.”

State officials delay the rollout of specialty Medicaid plans – again (NC Health News)

What is #UniteNC?
Alongside a growing group of state and local partners, Common Cause North Carolina is hitting the road for a #UniteNC town hall roadshow tour to build political education, relationships, and outrage in response to the “long train of abuses” from the NC General Assembly. Focused on key issues like the budget, healthcare (including reproductive justice & bodily autonomy), the environment, and public education — tied together by threats to our democracy — we’ll be educating our people, building our base, and insisting state lawmakers attend so they can answer to North Carolinians. Our organizations will be there to educate; members of the public will be there to ask questions or share their testimony; and we’ll be focused on holding power accountable by demanding lawmakers attend, listen, and respond to the people. It’s a good old-fashioned town hall complete with food and fellowship.

• July 20: Mint Hill (Mecklenburg County)
• July 24: Carthage (Moore County)
• July 31: High Point (Guilford County)
• August 1: Gibsonville (Guilford County)
• August 2: Fayetteville (Cumberland County)
• August 3: Wentworth (Rockingham County)
• August 7: Kannapolis (Cabarrus County)
• August 14: Wilmington (New Hanover County)
• August 17: Salisbury (Rowan County)

And…more to be announced in Eastern & Western North Carolina + the Triangle! You can register and learn more by clicking HERE.

Common Cause NC is joined on this tour by statewide and local partners. A full list of sponsoring organizations can be found HERE.

NEW VOTER ID LAW
Due to the North Carolina Supreme Court reversing its decision on voter identification Holmes v. Moore, this restored the state's voter ID Law. Senate Bill 824- Implementation of Voter ID Const. Amendment. A photo ID will now be required to vote in NC beginning with the municipal elections in the fall of 2023.

First and foremost: what are the acceptable IDs?
Must NOT be expired OR expired for one year or less:
• NC driver’s license
• Non-driver’s ID from NC DMV (free to residents who show a birth certificate and other documents)
• U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport Card
• Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia or U.S. territory. Only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election.
• NC Voter Photo ID card (free, issued by a county board of elections). Voter must provide name, date of birth, and the last four numbers of their Social Security number, and have their photo taken. Coming soon!
• College or university student ID approved by the NCSBE. A list of approved college/university IDs will be published in late July.
• State or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the NCSBE

May be expired or have no expiration date
• Tribal Enrollment Card. Must be issued by tribe recognized by NC or federal government
• Military or veteran ID card issued by the U.S. government
• Public Assistance Program ID card issued by U.S. government or State of North Carolina

What else do you need to know?
• A voter 65 or older may use an expired form of acceptable ID if the ID was unexpired on their 65th birthday – it’s good for life!
• The address on your ID does not matter – the law says ID is only used to prove who you are, not where you live. (Make sure your voter registration matches your current address!)
• Mail-in absentee voters must send a copy of an identity document with their ballot request or with the returned ballot OR an affidavit noting lack of access to a method to attach an electronic or physical copy of the identification card to the written request as a reasonable impediment. Additional rules (coming soon) will clarify how this works.
• NOTE: If you don’t have acceptable photo ID, you can vote a provisional ballot, but then you must take an acceptable ID to your county elections board by the day before election results are certified (canvass day, the Monday after Election Day for municipal elections). If you are unable to show photo ID (whether voting in person or by mail), you may fill out an ID Exception Form (also known as a reasonable impediment form) and vote a provisional ballot.

Due to the recent public comment period around rules for photo ID, there will continue to be updates made to these guidelines in the coming months. Check back for more information at www.gotidnc.org OR call the voter assistance hotline at 888-OUR-VOTE. Again, we encourage you to SHARE THIS INFORMATION! Knowledge is voting power. We want everyone who wants to vote to be able to do so this fall. If you or someone you know needs helping getting an ID, reach out to our friends at Vote Riders.

Source: DemocracyNC

Bills of Interest:

SB 90- Searches of Student's Person (Children's Law Omnibus) was re-submitted to the K-12 Education Committee with several PCS (proposed committee substitutes) that would change how social workers can support children with their mental health. The bill would clarify that minors have no authority to consent to mental health treatment unless they believe themselves to be a danger to themselves or others. NASW-NC OPPOSES THIS BILL.

NC lawmakers seek to restrict minors' mental health privacy rights (WRAL)
• Challenge school library books and prosecute librarians
• Challenge instructional materials
• Force a superintendent to be dismissed or receive a reduction in pay
• Request for their child to be reassigned to another school or district
• Be informed if their child identifies as transgender or is at risk of suicide
• Prohibit instruction on gender identity, sexual activity and sexuality in fourth and fifth grade
• State that charter schools are not state actors, potentially giving them more leeway to institute dress codes

Due to public backlash and media coverage, SB 90 was pulled from the committee calendar. Please be on the lookout for more information from NASW-NC if it is reintroduced during this legislative session.

You can see a copy of SB 90 with the PCS changes by clicking HERE.

Source: Republican lawmakers in NC propose slew of controversial education policies (WUNC)

Bills of Interest:
HB 762 - School Social Workers/Master's Pay as a stand alone bill was heard in the House Education Committee on May 30th. Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers was included in the Governor's & House versions of the Budget. However, it was cut from the Senate version. NASW-NC and the NC School Social Workers Association (NCSSWA) were present at the NC General Assembly to advocate for this legislation. It passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee and is now in the Appropriations Committee, where we hope it will be included in the final version of the 2023 Budget.

Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact Update: SB 718 was not subjected to the final bill crossover deadline of May 4th. This means we still have the rest of the 2023 Legislative Session to get the bill passed in both chambers and signed into law by Governor Cooper. We are optimistic the bill will pass. Since only Republican-sponsored bills have moved this session, we are pitching the Compact as primarily a bill to support military spouses. The Social Work Compact creation was initiated by the Department of Defense to promote licensure portability for military spouses. You can read about that here: Interstate Licensure Compact for Social Work (socialworkers.org) A large number of Republican lawmakers, who have the supermajority in both the House and Senate, are very supportive of bills that support military populations and NASW-NC is working on getting support to advance the bill before session ends. Please be on the lookout for action alerts to contact your legislators to support the Social Work Licensure Compact.

More information about the Social Work Licensure Compact can be found here: https://swcompact.org

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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.

Learn more about NASW-NC membership here.