1. Transgender Lawsuit challenging HB 808-Gender Transition/Minors -NASW-NC Opposed The family of a transgender boy in North Carolina is suing state health officials to block implementation of gender-affirming care restrictions that they say will force their son to undergo a traumatic wrong-gender puberty. A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court alleges the new state law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by denying treatment access to transgender youths and undercuts parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children.
Transgender youth in the Tar Heel State immediately lost access to gender-affirming medical treatments on Aug. 16 when Republican supermajorities in the General Assembly overrode a veto of the ban by the Democratic governor. State law now bars medical
professionals from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to anyone under 18, with limited exceptions.
Representatives from Lambda Legal and the National Health Law Program say they also plan to file a motion for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the law while the court challenge proceeds. Other plaintiffs include a North Carolina family
physician who serves transgender patients and several local and national LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations. The family of the 9-year-old transgender boy is listed pseudonymously to protect their privacy, attorneys said.
2. Democratic National Committee v. North Carolina State Board of Elections SB 747 - Elections Law Changes -NASW-NC Opposed The Democratic National Committee and the North Carolina Democratic Party quickly sued North Carolina over an elections law passed Tuesday, arguing that it will cause
voter suppression. Arguing that several portions of the bill violate the Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act, Democrats brought their challenge in federal court and requested a jury trial. Even as Democrats told The News & Observer
about their intentions to sue, more plaintiffs including progressive organization Down Home North Carolina filed a separate lawsuit against the new law, focusing primarily on changes to same-day voter registration that Democrats also challenged. Senate
Bill 747, which Republicans enacted on Tuesday after overriding Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, also eliminates the three-day grace period for receiving absentee ballots, bans private money for election administration and empowers partisan poll
observers to watch the voting process.
North Carolina Republicans’ brazen attempts to undermine the will of the people and the leadership of Governor Cooper to strip voters of their hard-won voting rights is wholly unacceptable,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a news release. “Democrats
are fighting back to ensure that every eligible North Carolinian has their voice heard and ballot counted. In the wake of the GOP’s continuous assault on democracy, we’re using every tool in our arsenal to put an end to Republicans’ voter suppression.”
Republicans argue that the bill will increase trust in elections without infringing on the right to vote. “The intent of this bill is to help lend confidence to voters in elections by strengthening the integrity of the process,” said Sen. Warren Daniel,
a Morganton Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors. SB 747 was first proposed after top Republicans met with Cleta Mitchell, a former lawyer to former President Donald Trump who now pushes for stricter election laws across the country. A special
grand jury in Georgia recommended charges against Mitchell for allegedly working to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Prosecutors did not end up indicting her.
The 43-page bill makes many changes pushed for by conservative election integrity groups, from opening up more avenues to contest absentee ballots to creating a pilot program for signature verification on mail-in ballots. “North Carolina Republicans are
launching an all out attack on democracy itself, and Democrats are not sitting idly by as their election suppression bill, SB747 becomes law,” NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton said in Democrats’ news release. “Instead of making it easier for folks to vote,
Republicans are creating as many obstacles as possible for their own constituents. If Republicans thought they had a winning message that people wanted to vote for, they wouldn’t have spent their entire time in the majority targeting the ballot box,
handpicking their voters, and rigging the system in their favor.”
Under one provision, anyone seeking to register as a voter during the in-person early voting period and cast their ballot on the same day will need to provide a photo ID and proof of residence. Election workers will then attempt to confirm this address
is legitimate, but if their letter is returned as undeliverable, the voter’s ballot will be retrieved and thrown out, without the voter being able to contest the decision. The DNC’s lawsuit also takes aim at the provision of the bill that shortens
the deadline for receiving absentee ballots.
3. Governor Cooper Asks Court to Overturn Unconstitutional Legislative Power Grab Today, Governor Cooper filed a lawsuit against Republican legislative leaders in Wake County Superior Court, challenging provisions in Senate Bill 512 -Greater Accountability for Boards/Commissions that clearly violate the separation of powers established in the North Carolina Constitution. Governor
Cooper also requested a temporary restraining order to prevent many of the provisions in Senate Bill 512 from going into effect immediately until their constitutionality is resolved.
Governor Cooper previously vetoed Senate Bill 512, which takes away the Governor’s majority of appointees on important boards and commissions, including the Board of Transportation, the Commission for Public Health, and the Environmental Management Commission
among others.
“This law is a blatantly unconstitutional legislative power grab,” said Governor Cooper. “Over the years, the North Carolina Supreme Court has repeatedly held in bipartisan decisions that the legislature cannot seize executive power like this no
matter what political parties control which offices. The efforts of Republican legislators to destroy the checks and balances in our constitution are bad for people and bad for our democracy.”
The lawsuit also brings a separation of powers challenge to a provision House Bill 488, which establishes the Residential Code Council.
The Governor’s lawsuit explains that the NC Supreme Court’s precedents make clear that “in order to fulfill the Governor’s constitutional duties and conform with separation-of-powers principles, the Governor must have sufficient control over administrative
bodies that have final executive authority, such as the authority to enforce laws and promulgate rules and regulations, to ensure the laws are faithfully executed.” The challenged provisions in Senate Bill 512 and House Bill 488 prevent the Governor
from exercising sufficient control over executive boards and commissions that are charged with enforcing laws, promulgating rules, and taking other executive action in a variety of important policy areas.
Medicaid Expansion Beginning December 1, 2023, more North Carolinians will be able to get health coverage through NC Medicaid. This will be a game changer for the more than
600,000 people who will be able to access health care and is the most significant investment in the health of our state in decades. Thank you to the many partners that have helped make this a reality.
Now we need your help to be sure that North Carolinians know who is eligible and how to apply. We have a new website,
bilingual toolkit, and a sign-up form to stay updated on the most current information about how more North Carolinians will be able to get health coverage through NC Medicaid.
To stay updated with the latest information, be notified when the application process goes live, and receive the newest resources, complete this sign-up form.
Thank you for helping more people in your communities get health coverage through NC Medicaid. Together we will ensure more than 600,000 people gain access to health care across North Carolina.
Click Hereto access
NASW-NC's toolkit for Medicaid Expansion.
NCDHHS Celebrates Historic $835 Million Investment in Behavioral Health Today, on World Mental Health Day, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services is celebrating an unprecedented $835 million investment
in behavioral health. These funds are transformative and will make it possible for more North Carolinians to receive care when and where they need it.
"Thanks to the leadership of Governor Cooper and the General Assembly, we’ve secured one of the largest investments in behavioral health in more than a generation," said NCDHHS Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "This is a monumental step forward for the people
of North Carolina and will assure we better meet their behavioral health needs."
The state budget invests $835 million in behavioral health and resiliency within NCDHHS. $700 million of that directly supports Governor Roy Cooper’s $1B Behavioral Health Roadmap.
Some of the key areas funded are:
Services for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis
Services to help individuals with behavioral health conditions avoid incarceration
Services for children with complex needs and supports for families
Strengthening the behavioral health workforce
"North Carolina and the country are in the midst of a behavioral health crisis, and this investment arrives at a critical time of need," said Kelly Crosbie, the Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance
Use Services. "More people than ever have mental health or substance use disorder needs. And rates of depression and anxiety have nearly quadrupled, drug overdose deaths jumped 72% in two years and youth suicides have doubled over the last decade.
Combined with Medicaid expansion, these funds will make life-saving improvements."
The largest of the legislative investments will go towards increasing the Medicaid reimbursement rates for behavioral health services — the first such increase in a decade. Increasing these rates will strengthen the workforce and increase access to care
in the appropriate settings. It will also make Medicaid expansion more impactful for
the estimated 600,000 people who will gain access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis right now, help is available. Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
People who speak Spanish can now connect directly to Spanish-speaking crisis counselors by calling 988 and pressing option 2, texting “AYUDA” to 988, or chatting online at 988lineadevida.org or 988Lifeline.org.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month National Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign in the United States founded in 2006 by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. The campaign
is held during the month of October and unites communities nationwide to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention. National Bullying Prevention Month is recognized in communities across the United States, with hundreds of schools and organizations
signing on as partners. Facebook, Disney, Instagram, CNN, TLC and Yahoo! Kids and many others have supported the month through media outreach and dissemination.
The reasons for being bullied reported most often by students include physical appearance, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
49.8% of tweens (9 to 12 years old) said they experienced bullying at school and 14.5% of tweens shared they experienced bullying online. (Patchin & Hinduja, 2020)
Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school. (Centers for Disease Control, 2019)
Bullied students indicate that bullying has a negative effect on how they feel about themselves (27%), their relationships with friends and family (19%), their school work (19%), and physical health (14%). (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019
WEAR ORANGE ON OCTOBER 18TH FOR UNITY DAY (orange t-shirt; orange shoelaces; orange socks; orange sunglasses; orange wristband; orange hat; orange anything! )
Join NASW-NC on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 from 12pm-1pm for a virtual webinar where we will discuss updates on the 2023 legislative session and the many likely changes coming to voting in 2024. Social workers need to know that there is a current effort
to make voting harder for all North Carolinians in 2024. This includes new laws on Voter ID, fewer early voting opportunities, and restrictions on absentee ballots.
Whether you are a seasoned or brand new social worker, join NASW-NC to learn more about what happened that impacts social work this legislative session and why social workers need to vote, how to Get Out the Vote, and much more! This webinar is open to
all social workers in North Carolina and students are encouraged to attend!
Social workers have an ethical responsibility for political engagement and advocating for social justice. This is something that sets social work apart from other helping professions, and is an integral part of the profession.
1 Hour of CE will be available for those that attend and request the CE for their social work licensure.
Presenters: Valerie Arendt, NASW-NC Executive Director, Lauren Zingraff, NASW-NC Director of Advocacy and Policy, and Katrice Byrd, Chair of the NASW-NC Legislative Committee
Voting Information
In 2023, there are three municipal election dates in North Carolina:
Thursday, Oct. 19: One-stop, in-person early voting begins for November municipal elections.
Saturday, Nov. 4: One-stop, in-person early voting ends for November municipal elections.
Tuesday, Nov. 7 ELECTION DAY (various municipalities)
What is #UniteNC? The #UniteNC Town Hall tour — designed to educate our communities about what happened
in the General Assembly this year and to hold state lawmakers accountable — finishes up in October, with seven final stops between now and October 26th. Thank you to everyone’s who’s played a crucial role so far in reaching
1200+ North Carolinians from Sylva to Manteo and everywhere in between. By the time we’re finished, we will have held 25 town halls together over the course of 3 months!
For those interested in joining us for the last few stops or encouraging your supporters to attend, the schedule and RSVP links are below. We’d really love your support in spreading the word!
And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. The tour home page is at ccnc.me/UniteNC. All events start at 6:30pm
unless otherwise stated.
FINAL EVENTS
October 16th: Havelock, NC [Craven + Carteret counties]
October 25th: Graham, NC [Alamance County] (will begin at 6pm ET and end at 8pm ET)
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.
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