Neighbors on Call’s NC Policy Update for 6/20/22

Voting Rights

• The North Carolina Republican Party submitted a written request to the NC State Board of Elections asking that county boards verify voter signatures on requests for absentee ballots and the ballots themselves. Voting rights advocates spoke against signature verification requirements, warning that such a practice would be an unnecessary administrative burden, rely on subjective judgment about signatures (which often change), and would likely disenfranchise eligible voters. The NCBOE is accepting public comment on this issue until July 5.

Economic and Housing Policy

• A Republican-sponsored bill that would allow commercial builders to use a private-sector engineer or architect to approve construction plans when there is a delay in government permitting passed a committee in the NC Senate this week. HB 291 would eliminate some unpredictability in the construction market stemming from backlogs at local code enforcement offices by setting a 21-day limit on review of construction plans at local offices and allowing builders to receive approval from a private-sector architect or engineer. The NC League of Municipalities opposes the bill.

Health Care Policy

• A bill to legalize medical marijuana stalled in the NC House this week after passing the NC Senate. Republican House Speaker Tim Moore opposes SB 711 and said that he will not bring it to a vote in the House during this legislative session. Supporters of cannabis legalization were disappointed by the bill’s stalling.

Education and LGBTQ Rights

• A bill that has been called North Carolina’s version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill has stalled in the NC General Assembly. On Wednesday Republican NC House Speaker Tim Moore said that HB 755 does not have enough votes in the House to override an expected veto by Governor Cooper, so it will not be brought to the floor during this legislative session. While all Republicans in the NC House support the bill, three Democratic votes would be needed to override a veto. As reported by WRAL, Speaker Moore said, “We’re feeling very bullish about next year and about the super majority. [This is] the kind of issue that we can take up in next year’s session.”

Criminal Justice

An NC House bill that would give attorneys more opportunities to fight NC State Bar complaints against them passed its second reading on Thursday. HB 869, which has bipartisan sponsorship, would add a step to the existing process by which a committee reviews such complaints, allowing attorneys to appear before a new panel that would review the committee decision. The bill would also make certain state bar documents confidential, including documents related to requests for ethics advice.

Neighbors on Call’s NC Policy Update for 6/13/22

Education Policy

• On Thursday the NC House approved a bill that would remove North Carolina’s two virtual charter schools from pilot program status and grant them new five-year charters. SB 671 would also provide guidelines for “remote academies” (online or virtual school). Though the bill passed the NC House 73-22, some representatives expressed reservations about passing it quickly given the below-average performance of the state’s virtual schools.

• On Wednesday Republicans in the NC House passed a bill that would shift appointment power over seats on one county’s community college board from the governor to leaders of the NCGA. SB 256 would allow the speaker of the NC House and president pro tempore of the NC Senate to fill four seats on the Rockingham County Board of Trustees – seats that the governor currently has the power to fill. Rockingham County is in Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger’s district. The bill now goes back to the NC Senate, where it is expected to pass. Because it is a local bill, it cannot be vetoed by the governor.

Health Care Policy

• On Monday the NC Senate passed a bill legalizing medical marijuana. SB 711 would allow trained physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients with specific medical conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, and PTSD. The bill also decriminalizes the medical use of marijuana and the cultivation and distribution of marijuana, though criminal penalties for nonmedical use of marijuana remain. Though the bill now goes to the NC House, it is unclear whether the House will take up the bill before the end of this legislative session.

• “Millions of North Carolinians would be eligible for discounted or free hospital care, even after their insurance was billed, under proposed legislation debated this week.” – Lynn Bonner, NC Policy Watch (see also WRAL)

• On Tuesday the NC Senate rules committee moved forward a bill that would let state health officials develop a state health plan for children in the foster care system. “Children in foster care currently receive health care through Medicaid at the local level, which makes it difficult for them to retain their doctors and therapists when they move to any number of places.” – Bryan Anderson, WRAL

Women’s Rights and LGBTQ Rights

• “House and Senate Democrats have filed House Bill 1119 and Senate Bill 888, identical proposals to codify the abortion rights granted in the Roe case in state statute. It would allow abortion until viability, usually around 23-24 weeks, as well as after that if the doctor deems it necessary. It would also remove restrictions on abortion passed by Republican majorities over the past decade, including the 72-hour waiting period, the counseling mandate, and the ultrasound requirement.” – Laura Leslie, WRAL

• On Tuesday the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would strengthen domestic violence protections. HB 615 would allow a judge to extend a protective order to fill a gap between the date it expires and an upcoming court date to consider its renewal.

Criminal Justice

• “North Carolina lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would temporarily suspend the state’s automatic erasing of certain criminal records…The proposed process would be like a recycle or trash bin on a typical computer. Currently, in most districts, a file is permanently removed from electronic records by default and becomes inaccessible. House Bill 607 seeks to have files placed into a system that is inaccessible to the public but would be accessible upon request to people with dismissed charges.” – Bryan Anderson, WRAL

• On Monday the NC Senate approved a bill that would define organized retail theft as a crime and increase penalties for people who run organized retail theft rings. SB 766 passed 43-0 and now goes to the House.

Neighbors on Call’s NC Policy Update for 6/06/22

Economic Policy

• In a news conference on Thursday NC Senate Democrats advocated for a $200 gas tax rebate using some of the state’s budget surplus. On May 26 Democrats had introduced the Gas Tax Rebate Act, SB 897, which would issue a $200 debit card or check to North Carolina residents over 18 who hold a valid driver’s license. The primary sponsors of the bill are NC Senators Dan Blue (Wake), Sydney Batch (Wake), and Michael Garrett (Guilford). Sen. Phil Berger, Republican leader of the NC Senate, expressed reluctance to support the measure, saying Republicans would prefer longer-term tax cuts.

Environmental Policy

• On Thursday NC state legislators discussed a bill that would let the NC Department of Environmental Quality set safety limits on chemicals known as PFAS in drinking water. HB 1095 would also require manufacturers responsible for contaminating public drinking water sources with PFAS to pay for cleanup and upgrade their facilities to stop future contamination, requirements that would be set to apply retroactively from the beginning of 2017. The bill has bipartisan support and the support of Governor Cooper. However, the NC Chamber and other business advocacy groups oppose the bill, and Republican speaker of the House Tim Moore said he didn’t expect the bill to pass the NC House this year.

Health Care Policy

• On Thursday the NC Senate passed a Medicaid expansion bill in a 44-1 vote, following a 44-2 preliminary vote on Wednesday. Democrats celebrated the change of heart of their Republican colleagues, who have blocked Medicaid expansion in North Carolina for the past decade. Under the bill, HB 149, up to 600,000 people currently ineligible for government health insurance would be enrolled in Medicaid, with 90% of their costs covered by the federal government and 10% covered by hospitals. To become law, the bill still has to pass the NC House, where it appears so far to have more Republican opposition than in the Senate.

• On Thursday the NC Senate voted to approve a bill legalizing medical marijuana. SB 711 would allow 10 suppliers to sell marijuana via 80 dispensaries to patients with specific medical conditions (including cancer and ALS) and a prescription from specially certified doctors. The 35-10 vote is the first of two required votes; the Senate will vote again on the bill on Monday. After that, the bill will be sent to the NC House, where it appears to have less support. On Tuesday the NC Senate had also moved toward permanent legalization of hemp with a unanimous vote to approve SB 762, the 2022 Farm Act.

Women’s Rights

• On Tuesday Democratic state lawmakers introduced a bill that would eliminate the sales tax on feminine hygiene products and would fund public schools to provide free menstrual products to students. A previous grant program included in last year’s state budget provided limited funds on a first-come, first-served basis to schools in the state to provide menstrual products to students, but many schools that applied for the grant did not receive it because the funding ran out in less than a week. HB 1087 (SB 832), the Menstrual Equity for All Act, would provide $500,000 in recurring funding for this program.

Education Policy and LGBTQ Rights

• On Wednesday the NC Senate passed the controversial “Parents’ Bill of Rights” in a nearly party-line vote. HB 755 would ban teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity from K-3 curricula; require schools to notify a student’s parents if that student begins questioning their gender identity in school or brings concerns about emotional or mental health, including sexual orientation, to a teacher; and ban health care providers from providing any health care, including mental health services, to minors without parental consent. Education and LGBTQ+ advocates say the bill could put some students at risk by requiring schools to out them to their parents, and advocacy groups have called on Governor Cooper to veto the bill if it passes the House.