2023 NASW-NC Legislative Session Update: Week 31- Budget delayed until at least September

Budget delayed until at least September 
House Speaker Tim Moore says budget delays will now extend until next month. He told reporters Monday that scheduling conflicts will likely prevent lawmakers from passing the budget bill until after Labor Day.

“At this point, you’re talking about a September date for actual passage — signing into law and all of that. I think you should have significant progress made in the next couple of weeks, so you have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to be,” he said.

The budget will be at least two months late under that timeline. Moore says he’s meeting with Senate leaders this week to resolve about 70 remaining points of disagreement in the $30 billion spending plan. He said it’s an improvement from the more than 100 items that were left to negotiate last week.

The delay could mean that Medicaid expansion is postponed by several more months. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services had hoped to launch the health care program on Oct. 1 for more than 600,000 people who hadn’t previously qualified.

“If NCDHHS does not have authority to move forward by Sept. 1,” through an enacted budget or through separate Medicaid legislation, “the earliest fallback date is Dec. 1, 2023, and depending on how late authority is given, it could fall into 2024,” DHHS spokeswoman Kelly Haight Connor said in an email Monday.

Legislative leaders have agreed on state employee pay raises that they hope will address the vacancy problem, but they haven’t released details.

Moore would only say that the raises in the budget “are significant, they’re meaningful, they are designed to reward teachers and state employees. They are designed to try to do more than just keep up with the inflation that we are dealing with.”

The raises will be retroactive, meaning that whenever the budget is enacted, state workers will get the amount they would have earned if the raises took effect July 1. State retirees would also see a pension increase, but Moore wouldn't say if it's a permanent cost-of-living increase or a one-time bonus.

The House and Senate aren’t planning to hold any voting sessions until Wednesday, Aug. 16. That’s when the House has scheduled veto override votes on bills ranging from transgender health care to building code regulations.

Source: WUNC

Read Editorial: Activate Medicaid expansion now. Lives really are 'hanging in the balance'

From EqualityNC: 
The NC House has moved the override votes again on two Slate of Hate bills, #HB808 , a youth gender-affirming care ban, and #HB574, a trans sports ban.  It is currently on the calendar for Wednesday, August 16th .  This is subject to change. Tell our lawmakers that NC belongs to ALL of us here: https://p2a.co/uGGaZop #ncpol

Click Here for Resources for Transgender Youth & Families in NC impacted by Anti-Trans Healthcare Bills

Upcoming EqualityNC events: 

Next Tuesday, the 15th, we’ll be hosting a virtual event for faith leaders. We’ll share information about the current context (federal, statewide, and local policy and rhetoric) and have an open discussion with faith leaders about what we can do in our communities to advocate for LGBTQ+ lives. RSVP here .

On Friday the 18th, we’ll be hosting an Equality Social in Maggie Valley! Come hang out by the river, have beers, eat good food, support a business that supports you, and be safe in a community that loves all. You can RSVP here . 

Finally, we’ll be at Charlotte Pride next weekend (8/19-8/20). We’ll be tabling on Saturday and Sunday, and we’ll be in the parade – we’d love for you to join us there! Sign up here .    

What is #UniteNC?
Pro-Choice North Carolina is excited to join with our partners at Common Cause North Carolina and other organizations across the state for a series of #UniteNC town halls! This is a fantastic opportunity to build our shared power and hold lawmakers accountable. Pro-Choice North Carolina will have materials at all town halls and we’ll be in-person at some of them, too. 

If you're concerned about harmful policies in the state legislature like attacks on abortion access, upcoming elections, and redistricting, join us and speak up for people-first policies!

• August 17: Salisbury (Rowan)
• September 5: Hendersonville (Henderson)
• September 6: Brevard (Transylvania)
• September 7: Sylva (Jackson)
• September 11: Pitt [Greenville]
• September 12: Scotland’s Neck (Halifax)
• September 14: Hoke / Scotland [Wagram]
• September 18: Cabarrus [Kannapolis]
• September 19: Catawba [Hickory]

And there are more #UniteNC town halls to come…stay tuned! You can register and learn more by clicking HERE.  

Read Editorial: Town hall by town hall, some stirrings of democracy in North Carolina 

NC county election boards can now issue free ID cards for new voting mandate

Add election offices in all 100 counties to places where North Carolina voters can obtain photo identification cards that comply with the state’s voter ID mandate taking effect with this year’s municipal elections.

The State Board of Elections announced on Wednesday that county boards of elections are now able to produce free photo ID cards. These can help registered voters who lack other acceptable forms of ID. That list includes driver’s licenses, military IDs and scores of state-approved college student and public employer ID cards.

Registered voters who come to their county election office must provide their name, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security number to obtain an ID, which can be used for 10 years. Free IDs are also available at Division of Motor Vehicles offices. 

Click here to find a DMV office near you.

Source: WUNC

From the NC State Board of Elections: View and download our new resource on North Carolina's voter ID requirement. Learn about the state law and what you need to cast your vote in 2023:http://bit.ly/3qQudaU

REMINDER: All county boards of elections can now print FREE photo ID cards for registered voters in their county who need an acceptable form of ID. Press release: http://bit.ly/3rUePe7

Join us for the 2023 NAMI North Carolina Annual Conference!

This year's conference theme is "Unified and Unbroken."

The COVID 19 pandemic showed our country just how meaningful mental health is to its sustainability. Being forced to reimagine life in isolation divided our communities, which worsened our country’s mental health status, and highlighted our state’s need for more accessible, equitable, and inclusive mental health resources to help heal our communities from the traumas of 2020.

Keynote Speakers: The Me2/ Orchestra

The Me2/ ("me, too") is the world's only classical music organization created for individuals with mental illnesses and the people who support them. During our keynote, you will learn about the people behind this powerful musical ensemble and how music provides healing and community to their members.

Visit our Annual Conference webpage for registration and event updates! Check back soon for more information, including a full agenda.

Questions? Contact Davine Laster, Director of Development and Events, at dlaster@naminc.org .

International Youth Day 2023 "Green Skills For Youth: Towards A Sustainable World" -Observance Saturday, August 12th, 2023.
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation by the World Conference of Ministers of Youth that 12 August be declared International Youth Day . Over the last two decades of International Youth Day celebrations, several innovative and timely themes have been explored, including mental health, intergenerational solidarity, safe spaces for youth and civic engagement. Today, the world is embarking on a green transition. The shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population. Green skills are “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society”. 
Source: United Nations

Item to Watch: 
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 PCS version of 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 ALL PCS SUBMITTED. 

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

NASW-NC 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   

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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