2025 NASW-NC Legislative Update: NC House releases its Budget

In this week's update:

• NC House releases its Budget: What social workers need to know 
• Statement from Governor Stein on Proposed Cuts to SNAP
• Which UNC System majors got waivers to keep DEI courses 
• Justice Allison Riggs sworn in for NC Supreme Court 
• Tell NC Lawmakers Vote No! 
• Act Now: Tell Congress to Protect Elder Justice Programs
• Immigrant Rights Advocacy Week
• NASW-NC Bill Tracker
• NASW-NC Clinical Supervision Certifcate Training

NC House releases its Budget: What social workers need to know

This week the NC House shared its proposed budget plan on how they would spend $66 billion of North Carolina's tax dollars for the fiscal years 2025-2027.  The NC House, which is controlled by Republicans, also includes massive cuts across state government and state employee positions that are currently vacant like the NC Senate budget released in April.  However, NC General Assembly insiders are expecting it to be many months before a final budget bill is agreed upon by both chambers and sent to Governor Stein for his signature. 

The numbers will not be public until the NC House unveils the full budget the week of May 19th, and they are expected to take the week of May 26th off. 

While NASW-NC's Valerie Arendt and Lauren Zingraff have advocated each week in-person at the NC General Assembly for the Restoration of Master's Level Pay for School Social Workers, it is not included in the NC House budget. It was not included in the NC Senate budget either. 

Some cuts that impact the work of NC's social workers & the communities we serve: 

• $5.4 million in cuts to vacant state employee jobs in the area known as general government, which includes agencies like the Department of Administration. The vacancy rate statewide is about 20%.
• Eliminating $2 million in funding for a grant program that provided medically assisted treatment in jails for people with opioid use disorder.
• Cutting funding for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Fellows scholarship program by $564,000, leaving a budget of $100,000.
• Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to achieve savings of at least $10 million each year through the elimination of vacant positions. The department cannot eliminate vacant positions in its Division of Aging, Division of Public Health, and Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities.
• Eliminates the Office of Health Equity within DHHS.

NASW-NC will keep you updated with more NC House budget information once it is publicly released.  As social workers, a budget is not only appropriations, it is also social justice policy. 

Statement from Governor Stein on Proposed Cuts to SNAP  

Governor Josh Stein released the following statement on proposed federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):  

“SNAP helps 1.4 million North Carolinians put food on the table. Congress’s proposed cuts are unprecedented and would make North Carolina pay up to $700 million to continue current benefits, all so that the wealthiest Americans can receive even bigger tax cuts. If Congress goes forward with these plans, our state will be forced into perilous budget decisions – should North Carolinians lose access to food, or should we get rid of other essential services? "I urge our members of Congress to reject this budget proposal so that North Carolina families don’t go hungry.”  

Currently, the federal government covers 100% of food benefits for SNAP participants. Now, Congress has proposed shifting food benefit costs to states for the first time in the program’s history. North Carolina footing $700 million in SNAP benefits for the first time would be the equivalent of 8,900 K-12 public school teacher positions. 

Four in five families participating in SNAP in NC have either a child, a senior, or an adult with a disability in the household. Each dollar in support for paying for groceries through SNAP frees up household resources for other essential needs like rent, utilities, or child care. 

SNAP contributes nearly $2.8 billion to North Carolina’s economy, and has a multiplier effect, with every $1 invested in SNAP benefits generating between $1.50 and $1.80 for local economies. SNAP cuts would mean people have less to spend at NC’s more than 9,200 SNAP retailers, which would hurt farmers, the larger food distribution pipeline, and local economies overall, especially in rural areas and small towns.     

SNAP is playing a vital role in supporting western North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Helene. The 25 western NC counties most impacted by Helene still have higher enrollment in SNAP in April 2025 than they did in September 2024 before the storm hit. Notably, immediately after the storm, SNAP received169,000 applications – the highest number of applications since Hurricane Florence in 2018. 

Last week, Governor Stein sent a letter to Congress laying out the implications for North Carolina if SNAP cuts move forward. Click here to read his letter.  

Click here to learn more about the impact of proposed SNAP cuts on North Carolina. 

Click here to view county enrollment data for the SNAP program.

Which UNC System majors got waivers to keep DEI courses        

One day after President Donald Trump took office in January, he issued an executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal government, including contracting. Roughly two weeks after Trump signed that order, the UNC System’s top attorney issued guidance on how the action would impact North Carolina’s public universities — many of which hold contracts with the federal government for research or other campus operations.

Andrew Tripp’s Feb. 5 memo was clear: UNC System schools could no longer require students to take courses related to DEI as part of their mandatory general-education curricula. But the memo also left open the possibility that some courses might remain as part of individual majors or graduate programs, provided the courses were “substantially related” to the program and campus chancellors approved a waiver allowing the requirements to continue. 

For months, it has been unclear what courses — if any — would be permitted to remain as requirements across the system. Now, we have some answers. The UNC System Board of Governors will meet this week and receive an update on the topic in a Wednesday committee meeting. Thanks to materials made available online for the meeting, we have a preview of which DEI courses were granted waivers. 

According to meeting materials, in all, 14 UNC System chancellors granted waivers for DEI coursework in at least one major or graduate program on their campuses. Only the UNC School of the Arts and UNC Wilmington reported that they did not have any program-specific courses that would run afoul of the guidance in Tripp’s memo. At the remaining schools, chancellors approved waivers for as few as one or two programs at some schools, to several more at other campuses. NC State University, for instance, approved waivers only for the university’s undergraduate and graduate social work programs. NC A&T State University, an historically Black university, on the other hand, approved waivers for agricultural education, child development and family studies, gerontology, social work, special education and more.

In general, programs in social work, education and nursing — and related fields — were the most common programs to receive waivers. As explained in the chancellors’ letters to the board, that’s because accreditation and professional competencies for those disciplines generally require students to be proficient in areas related to DEI. 

Elizabeth City State University offered similar reasoning for interim Chancellor Catherine Edmonds granting waivers for courses required for programs in social work and education. “The courses for which we are requesting a waiver are substantially related to the relevant academic majors and are directly aligned with discipline-specific accreditation standards and/or licensure requirements,” Edmonds wrote. “These courses are essential to ensuring our students meet the professional competencies and regulatory expectations required in their fields.” 

Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article305927451.html

Justice Allison Riggs sworn in for NC Supreme Court 

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs was sworn in to a new term on Tuesday after the Democrat won a month-long fight against her Republican rival’s challenges to thousands of ballots.

The State Board of Elections earlier Tuesday issued an election certificate to Riggs based on a 734-vote victory over GOP candidate Jefferson Griffin from over 5.5 million ballots cast. The board was complying with a federal judge's order last week against Griffin, who conceded rather than appeal.

The Associated Press declared over 4,800 winners in the 2024 general election, but the Supreme Court election was the last nationally that was undecided.

"Thank you for your trust and unwavering support," Riggs told family and supporters after she was sworn in to an eight-year term in the old House chamber. “You chose a path forward where power stays in the hands of people, not politicians. You demanded accountability and used your voices to speak out for our constitutional rights.”

After two recounts, the result remained in the air for months, as Griffin protested the eligibility of over 65,000 ballots. Court decisions whittled the potential ballots at issue down to roughly 7,000.

Riggs' Democratic allies said Griffin and the state Republican Party were trying to overturn a fair and legal election by removing ballots that legally should be counted. Some of Griffin's challenges only applied to a handful of Democratic-leaning counties.

There was “immeasurable damage done to our democracy” as a result of the challenge, Riggs said. “Voters should not have to fight tooth and nail to have their lawful votes counted.”

The State Board of Elections dismissed Griffin's protests in December. But by April state appeals courts — including the high court — ruled against counting votes from people who never lived in North Carolina but whose parents had. And they declared ballots ineligible if they were cast by military and overseas voters who didn’t provide copies of photo identification or an ID exception form.

Riggs, who recused herself from her court's deliberations, went to federal court to block the removal of votes. U.S. District Judge Richard Myers, an appointee of President Donald Trump, sided with Riggs on May 5, agreeing the ”retroactive invalidation” of ballots cast by military and overseas voters would violate the due process rights of voters. And Myers wrote the lack of a process for people mistakenly declared nonresidents also was unconstitutional.

“It’s very distasteful that he did challenge,” said Isaac Jenkins, 76, of Aberdeen, who was on the list of those who cast ballots questioned by Griffin, which also included Riggs' parents. “It put a bad spotlight on the Republican Party and on the courts.”

Myers’ order, however, did not invalidate for future North Carolina elections the state courts' decisions on military and overseas voters who don't provide ID information as well as those who have never been residents in the state. They can vote in North Carolina elections for federal offices only, the elections board said this week.

Riggs' term lasts through late 2032. Griffin remains a state Court of Appeals judge.

(Source: Spectrumlocalnews.com)

Tell NC Lawmakers Vote No! 

As predicted, last week saw a flurry of activity in Raleigh where lawmakers pushed through bills attacking freedom of speech, public education, and workers’ rights, among other concerning issues. While anti-voter, anti-democracy bills are exempt from the crossover deadline, in the future, we may see bills like HB 127 move or parts of it put into a larger election law bill or the budget.

Read on to learn about some of the bills that survived crossover that you can take action on TODAY! And keep an eye on demnc.co/takeaction in the coming weeks.

• TAKE ACTION >> Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (House Bill 171). Taking a cue from federal executive orders and legislation, this deeply troubling bill would prohibit state agencies, local governments, and schools from maintaining or implementing DEI initiatives or programs, and remove state funds if these initiatives continue. 
• TAKE ACTION >> Anti-picketing (Senate Bill 484). This legislation threatens peaceful assembly and free expression by broadly redefining “workplace violence” to include peaceful activities such as mass picketing and obstruction. If enacted, this could represent a wildly dangerous erosion of constitutional rights. 
• TAKE ACTION >> Book banning (Senate Bill 636). This bill would require public schools to narrowly establish criteria for what books are allowed in their libraries and allow residents (parents, nonparents, whoever) to challenge books they deem “unwholesome” and even take legal action against the school for violating this rule — in short, this legalizes book bans. 
• TAKE ACTION >> Undermining the separation of powers (Senate Bill 58). We first told you about this unconstitutional prohibition of the rights of the NC Attorney General in early February. Under this bill, the AG would not be able to take legal action against any executive order issued by the President, undermining the separation of powers. 
• TAKE ACTION >> Criminalizing voter registration (House Bill 127). Unfortunately, as referenced above, HB127 is exempt from crossover due to being an election bill. Please continue to share this petition with your networks and reach out to your lawmakers.

(Source: DemocracyNC)

Act Now: Tell Congress to Protect Elder Justice Programs

NASW knows that we all rely on community supports and services throughout the lifespan. Yet, services that are essential to the health and well-being of older adults and people with disabilities—particularly those that prevent and address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation—are at great risk of elimination. That’s why we are sharing the following message from our partners at the Elder Justice Coalition. Together, we can preserve and strengthen systems that promote dignity and fairness as we age and if we live with disability.

Elder Justice Programs At Risk! 

In April, a draft of the Office of Management and Budget’s FY26 Health and Human Services budget was leaked to the press. The Elder Justice Coalition strongly opposes the proposed elimination of aging programs and services that protect older Americans. This draft budget includes the elimination of the following programs:

• Elder Justice/Adult Protective Services
• Long-Term Care Ombudsman
• Elder Rights Support Activities
• Aging and Disability Resource Centers

This is not the time to weaken our efforts to combat the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults and people with disabilities in America. Participate in our advocacy alert to urge Congress to protect our most vulnerable citizens

ACT NOW! 

Immigrant Rights Advocacy Week      

Immigrants are an essential part of our community and should not have to live in constant fear of being detained, deported, or separated from their families. Join us next week to defend the rights of immigrants in our state and take a stand against the slate of anti-immigrant legislation moving through the North Carolina General Assembly.

There are several ways you can take action:

1. Sign up for Advocacy Day at the North Carolina General Assembly on May 21.
2. Email your legislators and ask them to vote NO on anti-immigrant legislation.
3. Email Governor Stein and ask him to VETO anti-immigrant legislation.
4. Contact your sheriff and ask them to publicly oppose HB318 which would expand forced cooperation between local police and ICE.
5. Invite organizations that you are a part of to join an organizational sign-on letter to Governor Stein.
6. Follow our Instagram and re-share the Immigrant Rights Advocacy Week posts.

**Please only take actions you feel safe participating in.**

(Source: ACLU-NC) 

Social Work Compact passes NC House

The Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact Bill (HB231) was heard on the House Floor on Tuesday, April 1, for its final vote in the House, and it passed unanimously with a floor vote of 116-0. The week prior, NASW-NC staff had been at the General Assembly ensuring that HB 231 passed favorably in both the House Finance Committee and the House Rules Committee. 

The North Carolina legislation (SB155 and HB231) would allow licensed clinical social workers to apply to provide their services across multiple states. A comprehensive data system would also be created so the public could be kept safe and informed regarding a social worker’s current license status and any adverse actions associated with a licensed clinical social worker.

NASW-NC's top priority for the 2025 legislative session is the passage of the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact. NASW-NC has been the driving force behind this bill, and was the only organization in North Carolina to work to introduce the bill in both chambers of the NC General Assembly.

NASW-NC has worked tirelessly for the last two years to secure the 40 primary and co-sponsors in both the Senate and House of Representatives for the Social Work Licensure Compact.  NASW-NC would like to thank all of HB 231's sponsors and co-sponsors for their leadership and support in getting this bill passed.⁠

HB 231 has been referred to the NC Senate. NASW-NC will continue to monitor and advocate for the bill’s passage. NASW-NC will also continue to advocate for SB 155 - the companion bill of HB 231 to be heard in Senate Finance Committee and eventually in a floor vote in the NC Senate.

NASW-NC is also working to advance HB 523 – School Social Workers/Master’s Pay. This is the second 2025 NASW-NC Legislative Agenda priority item that has been introduced as a bill in the House. This bill will most likely be voted through House Education and referred to Appropriations, where it will be included in the House Budget. We are working on getting support in the Senate.

NASW-NC is the ONLY organization lobbying and advocating for the entire Social Work Profession at the North Carolina Legislature. The NASW-NC lobbying team would not exist without the incredible support of NASW-NC membership. If you are already a member of NASW-NC, THANK YOU. Our members are the only reason that we have been able to do this work! 

NASW-NC is not federally funded; we are not state funded. We are funded by the members of NASW and will not exist to advocate for you and the social work profession without YOU!  We are able to do more if we have a large voice and robust membership. If you are not yet a member, please join NASW and join us in our advocacy efforts.

Follow updates on the Social Work Compact in the NC General Assembly here. 

NASW-NC Bill Tracker

NASW-NC has created a page to keep members up to date with legislative developments regarding the Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact, restoring master’s level pay for school social workers, and other bills related to the social work profession.

NASW-NC is currently keeping an eye on more than 100 bills that, if passed, may impact the social work profession and the populations we serve. You can view all of the bills NASW-NC is tracking at the NC General Assembly HERE. 

2025 NASW-NC Clinical Supervision Certificate Training

Thousands of LCSWAs in North Carolina need quality clinical social work supervision. Now it is your turn to help grow our clinical social work workforce! Earn your NASW-NC Clinical Supervision Certificate and gain 18 Continuing Education Contact Hours! Topics include supervisory styles and techniques, skills to supervise clinical social workers at various stages of clinical development, managing challenging supervisees and situations, evaluating clinician competency, cultural competency, ethics, legal and regulatory issues, and much more! 

June 9-11, 2025
Virtual 
Up to 18 hours of CE

Registration Fees:
Members $150
Not yet a member? $300
Exam fee $50

See full agenda and register here!

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.

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