2025 Legislative and Public Policy Priorities
North Carolina's General Assembly is currently in session. NCPA staff and lobbyists are monitoring bills and have been on hand for legislative discussions of great significance to psychiatry. NCPA is available to serve as a resource to policy leaders in the state. We are focused on the following issues of importance to mental health...
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Enforce Mental Health Parity in North Carolina
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Ensuring Adequate and Qualified Workforce
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Promoting Quality Behavioral Health Care Access
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Decriminalizing Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
For more information regarding NCPA's legislative priorities, email [email protected]
Where Can I See What APA is Doing?
advocacy activities. The members-only Advocacy Action Center has an up-to-date list of recent actions taken by APA
Weekly Legislative Updates
4.11.25
It was a hectic week at the Legislature; The Crossover deadline of May 8th looms in the distance as hundreds of bills were filed in the House. The deadline for bill filing in the House was originally last Thursday, but bill drafting was so far behind with the amount of bill language that has been submitted they have had to extend the deadline to this week. Despite this, we have heard no discussions about extending the Crossover deadline.
Crossover is when a bill has to pass its originating chamber to remain eligible for the remainder of the biennium. To date, 1,765 bills have been filed, 759 in the Senate and 1,066 in the House. With hundreds of new bills filed this week, we are expecting a rapid pace until Crossover.
One particular bill that made progress in the Senate this week brought dozens of protestors to fill the galleries of both chambers. Both bills follow the federal trend under the new administration, which is looking to eliminate DEI practices in certain environments. The Senate’s version, S 558, Eliminating “DEI” in Public Higher Ed., would prohibit public institutions of higher education from taking certain actions related to discriminatory practices and diverse concepts. This includes but is not limited to, provisions preventing these institutions from engaging in or advocating for discriminatory practices, compelling students, professors, administrators, or other employees to affirm or profess belief in divisive concepts, or employing or assigning an employee whose duties include promoting discriminatory practices or divisive concepts. S 558 passed the Senate Wednesday on a 28-18 party-line vote and now heads to the House.
The House version of a DEI bill, H 171, Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI, would prohibit state agencies from promoting, supporting, implementing, or maintaining workplace DEI programs, policies, or initiatives. Further, it would prohibit a state agency, unit of local government, or covered school from (1). Using state funds or public money to promote, fund, implement, or maintain DEI initiatives or programs. (2). Applying for, accepting, or utilizing federal funds, grants, or other assistance that require compliance with DEI policies, initiatives, or mandates. Speaker Hall pulled the bill from a vote Tuesday while the House gallery was packed with protestors and again on Wednesday, although they stated that this has nothing to do with why the bill had been pulled. Hall was quoted stating that the bill was pulled to make more tweaks to the bill, potentially making it less aggressive in enforcement.
Another bill we have monitored this session that mirrors more of the actions taken by the Trump Administration passed the Senate Tuesday and now awaits action in the House. S 474, the DAVE Act, is the State’s version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Through the DAVE Act, the newly elected State Auditor, Dave Boliek, would have directed to him each state agency reporting to his division on its use of public funds and the status of its vacant positions and would direct the division to assess the continued need of each state agency and the vacant positions within each state agency. S 474 would allow the Auditor’s office to utilize artificial intelligence software to recommend cuts to state government spending, which many Democrat opponents argued could lead to flawed assessments of government efficiency. S 474 passed the Senate Tuesday on a party-line 29-17 vote and now awaits action in the House, where a similar bill has been introduced.
The House returns Monday at 11:00 AM and the Senate at 11:30 AM, but no votes are anticipated.
4.4.25
As we wrap up the first week of April, the pace at the General Assembly will accelerate significantly. Several major and controversial bills made progress this week, and in a rush to meet the Thursday bill filing deadline, the House introduced hundreds of bills. However, due to a backlog in bill drafting, the Speaker extended the deadline to next Thursday, April 10.
To our knowledge, the Crossover deadline—when bills must pass their originating chamber to remain eligible for the remainder of the biennium—is still set for Thursday, May 8, and we’ve been informed that the date will remain firm. The volume of bills scheduled for committee next week reflects the urgency driving legislative activity ahead of Crossover. Adding to this pressure, the House is planning to take a full recess during Easter week, further increasing the need for swift movement on legislation.
Bill Filing & Legislative Trends
So far, 1,551 bills have been filed—791 in the House and 760 in the Senate. With the bill filing deadline pushed back, we anticipate a substantial increase in filings in the coming days.
One bill, previously highlighted in last week’s report, took a major step forward this week. Reflecting similar efforts seen under the Trump Administration, Senate Leader Phil Berger sponsored a measure designed to enhance government efficiency. The DAVE Act (S 474)—short for the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency—assigns newly elected State Auditor Dave Boliek the responsibility of ensuring that government programs are effectively utilizing resources.
The bill directs DAVE to issue a December 31, 2025 report identifying state agencies, divisions, or offices recommended for dissolution, as well as state government positions that have remained vacant for more than six months. Approved by the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee on Tuesday, S 474 now heads to Senate Rules before advancing to the Senate floor, where it is expected to pass before moving to the House.
Healthcare Bills Making Progress
A closely watched healthcare bill, S 335, is making strides. Initially focused solely on allowing pharmacists to test and treat influenza, the bill has evolved to include Strep Throat. It mandates that insurers cover healthcare services lawfully provided by pharmacists if those same services would have been covered when performed by other healthcare providers. Additionally, it seeks to standardize pharmacist credentialing by insurers and clarify that prescription drug coverage requirements extend to third-party administrators, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and insurers.
Amended in Senate Health on Wednesday, S 335 passed unanimously and now moves to Senate Rules before heading to the Senate floor.
Another pharmacy-related bill, H 163, also advanced this week. The Pharmacy Benefits Manager Provisions legislation aims to regulate PBM practices. Specifically, it would:
- Require PBMs to reimburse pharmacies at defined rates.
- Mandate drug acquisition and concession reporting to the Insurance Commissioner.
- Prohibit PBMs from imposing certain fees, altering reimbursement rates, or restricting pharmacies from discussing lower-cost options with patients.
Additionally, the bill applies pharmacy choice protections to PBMs, increases audit notification requirements, and limits audit frequency and scope. While many pharmacists oppose the bill, arguing it reduces profits for middlemen, PBMs contend that restricting their business practices could lead to higher drug prices for patients. H 163 passed House Health on Tuesday and has been referred to House Regulatory Reform.
Legislative Schedule
The House reconvenes Monday at 1:00 PM, with the Senate returning at 3:00 PM, though no votes are expected.
3.28.25
As we wrap up the final week of March, the pace of session continues to mount rapidly. The Legislature was packed this week, with many outside advocacy groups coming to support or oppose some controversial legislation. Lawmakers also introduced various healthcare-related bills that would change minor consent laws and others that would increase the scope of practice for certain nurse practitioners. The bill filing deadline in the Senate was Tuesday this week, as hundreds of bills were filed to meet that deadline. The House bill filing deadline is Thursday, April 3, so we anticipate hundreds of more bills being added to the list next week. To date, 1,319 bills have been filed, with 759 in the Senate and 560 in the House.
Out of the hundreds of bills filed this week, several have already drawn strong opposition from Democrat lawmakers and protestors alike. One such bill mimics a highly controversial bill passed in 2016 regarding transgender bathroom access that drew international attention. House Bill 2, which was signed into law by then GOP Governor Pat McCrory, sought to prevent schools and state and local employees from using bathrooms and locker rooms that were not aligned with their biological sex at birth. The international backlash at the time caused several companies to leave North Carolina, which cost the state substantial sums of money, to the extent that the bill was ultimately repealed.
However, on Tuesday this week, a bill was filed in the Senate that closely aligns with many of the provisions that were in 2016’s HB2 but are not quite as sweeping. S 516, Women’s Safety and Protection Act, would, among other things, codify definitions of sex to include only male and female descriptions. It would also prevent people from changing their gender on their birth certificate or driver’s license after they’ve had gender reassignment surgery. Additionally, S 516 provides that a single or multiple occupancy restroom, changing facility, or sleeping quarters within a covered facility in the state shall only be used by one designated biological sex at one time. Also, the bill clarifies that transgender children who stay with classmates overnight on field trips, lock-ins, or other school activities have to room with members of their birth gender, not the gender in which they identify. S 516 has been referred to Senate Rules and we are unsure when and if it might be referred to another committee.
On Wednesday of this week, the House introduced a bill that substantially changes the current laws pertaining to minor consent for medical treatment. H 519, Parents’ Medical Bill of Rights, would, among other things, change provisions currently in law that allow minors to consent to some medical care – treating sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, mental health, and substance abuse – without parental approval. Under H 519, that provision would be rolled back to only allow minors to consent for treatment related to pregnancy, excluding abortion services. Physicians could also conduct exams without parents present if they believe a child could be suffering from abuse or neglect. Finally, H 519 grants parents access to all of their child’s medical records. H 519 has been referred to House Health but has not yet been calendared.
Finally, this week, a bill introduced in the House on Tuesday would expand the current scope of practice for certain Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). H 514, APRN Definitions, is very similar to the SAVE Act, which nurses have tried to pass for several sessions now. Under H 514, APRNs would have greater autonomy to treat and diagnose patients without the supervision of a physician. Advocates for the bill argue that it would help provide greater access to patient care, especially in rural parts of the state, and that it would help citizens save millions annually on health care spending. Opponents of the bill have expressed concern over safety and negative patient outcomes. With the release of the bill on Wednesday, 500 nurses marched to the General Assembly and held a rally in support of the measure. H 514 does not yet have any scheduled hearings, but it is one we will be closely monitoring.
The House returns Monday at 1:00 PM and the Senate at 3:00 PM, but no votes are anticipated.
3.21.25
As we quickly approach bill filing deadlines later this month and with Crossover looming early May, the pace of session continued to build this week. In addition to dozens of bills being introduced in both chambers, there was movement on both controversial as well as crucial bipartisan bills. Additionally, Thursday the Governor released his first budget proposal as Governor for this biennium, which we outline below. As of this report, there have been 864 bills introduced this session, with 480 in the House and 384 in the Senate. The filing deadline in the Senate for Public Bills and Resolutions is Tuesday, March 25. In the House, the filing deadline for Public Bills and Resolutions is Tuesday, April 3rd. While this deadline is hard and set for bills that fall within those categories, it does not apply to any bills that have appropriations provisions in them.
A highly controversial bill providing North Carolinians the right to carry concealed weapons without a permit advanced in the Senate this week. S 50, Freedom to Carry NC, would create a new Article 54C in the General Statutes, which would authorize the concealed carry of a handgun by any U.S. Citizen, who is at least 18 years old, and who is not otherwise disqualified by law because of a disqualifying criminal conviction or otherwise. S 50 would still authorize the issuance of concealed handgun permits for purposes of reciprocity with other states, efficiency of purchasing a firearm, and various other reasons. A similar measure was introduced last session in the House and had momentum, but Senate Leader Berger opposed the legislation. That session a bill passed that removed the pistol purchase permit requirement that Berger supported but stopped short of supporting permit less carry. However, now that Senator Berger has an announced primary opponent in 2026, he signed on as a co-sponsor of S 50. S 50 has faced strict opposition from some in law enforcement as well as health care professionals. Despite this, S 50 sailed through committee this week and passed a floor vote Thursday now sending it to the House. The House has a very similar bill to S 50, H 5, and it is expected that some version of these bills will ultimately wind up on Governor Stein’s desk where a veto is nearly guaranteed.
A largely bipartisan bill allocating additional funds towards Hurricane Helene recovery efforts was signed into law by Governor Stein Wednesday. H 47, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part 1, allocates roughly $550M towards the ongoing recovery efforts from those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Although this figure is short of the $1.1B requested by Governor Stein, he was quick to sign the bill when it came out of a Conference Committee Wednesday. The compromise bill contains some of the following provisions:
- $200M for crop loss programs and agricultural debris removal
- $120M for rebuilding and repairing homes
- $100M for repairing private roads and bridges
- $55M for small business infrastructure grants
- $20M for debris removal
- $10M for volunteers and nonprofits actively assisting in the disaster
Additionally, H 47 extends the state of emergency and increases the number of counties eligible for school calendar flexibility due to missed school days.
A bill targeting the often controversial measure taken by health insurance companies known as prior authorization was introduced this week. H 434, the CARE FIRST Act, makes substantial changes to the current law surrounding health insurance utilization review. Currently, if a medication or procedure is prescribed it is not automatically approved by insurance and goes through a process where it must be reviewed to determine whether or not such medication or procedure will be covered by the insurer. Oftentimes this process is lengthy and causes unnecessary and dangerous delays for medically necessary procedures or medications. H 434 would set time limits for insurance companies to notify doctors if the medical necessity of a service is being questioned. Also insurance companies would have to make public a list of services requiring reviews. This bill promotes physicians being the ones to make medical decisions for their patients, not bureaucrats inside a large health insurance company. H 434 has been referred to House Health.
Finally this week, Governor Stein released his budget proposal for the biennium on Thursday. As with the previous Cooper Administration and the GOP-majority General Assembly, there are typically big differences in what the Democrat Governor and GOP lawmakers propose, but there may be more room for compromise with some of the items proposed by Governor Stein Thursday. However, several key priorities within Governor Stein’s proposal will likely be dead-on-arrival with GOP lawmakers, such as Stein’s proposal to redirect billions of dollars away from private school tuition vouchers, freezing future tax cuts, and a proposed $4B bond to build new schools. Some areas in which the Governor and General Assembly might find common ground include efforts on Helene recovery spending, modernizing parts of state government, and state employee pay raises.
Additional provisions proposed by Governor Stein include:
- Increasing subsidy rates for child care centers by an average of 13%, allowing them to increase worker salaries
- Increasing pre-K provider subsidy rates by 20%
- Loans to build affordable housing, totaling $15M annually, and using federal and private money ($35M) for other affordable housing
- Making renovations to some state government buildings to allow for child care facilities
- Creating a tax holiday for back to school shopping
- Expanding the state’s Healthy Opportunities program
- An extra annual $20M for access to OB/GYN care
- Investing $14.3M in primary and dental care at rural and community health clinics.
As stated above, there are likely a few items in Stein’s proposal in which GOP lawmakers might seek to work together with the Governor, but we are awaiting GOP legislators to release their budget proposal within the coming weeks.
The House returns Monday at 1:00PM and the Senate at 3:00PM, but no votes are anticipated.
3.14.25
It was another fairly busy week at the Legislature. While session is not yet in a fast and furious mode that is standard around crossover and budget times, pace is certainly increasing. Several large pieces of legislation advanced this week, and lawmakers welcomed Governor Stein to the General Assembly to give his first State of the State speech to a joint session of the Legislature. With approaching deadlines for bill filing, a flurry of bills was introduced this week. To date, 696 bills have been introduced, with 406 in the House and 290 in the Senate. Once all filing deadlines occur later this month, we anticipate the pace of the session to pick up substantially as lawmakers seek to move bills to the opposite chamber before the May 8th crossover deadline.
On Wednesday night, Governor Josh Stein gave his first State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly. One of the key priorities he discussed in his speech was ensuring additional funds were allocated to Hurricane Helene relief. Despite lawmakers being roughly $600M short of the $1.1B requested by Stein last month to go towards Hurricane relief, he emphasized in his speech he would be ready to sign whatever lawmakers can quickly send him. Stein also called on lawmakers to join him in protecting the State from any potential Medicaid cuts by Congress, which would likely end the newly enacted Medicaid expansion that went into effect over a year ago. Finally, Stein spoke on the planned corporate and individual tax cuts that will be going into effect in a few years, stating that should these ultimately go into effect, there will not be funds needed to help residents with affordable housing and childcare costs. The next big announcement we anticipate seeing from Governor Stein will be his first budget proposal, which he will introduce to the Legislature in the coming months.
Thursday of this week, the Senate passed a major piece of legislation focused on cutting energy prices and eliminating carbon reductions for certain utilities. S 261, Energy Security and Affordability Act, was introduced by Senate Leader Berger on Monday and has been on a fast track through the Senate all week. S 261 would, among other things, eliminate the interim goal for a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the State from electric generating facilities owned or operated by certain electric public utilities (Duke Energy) from 2005 levels by the year 2030. And would allow an increase in the base rates of an electric public utility for costs of construction work in progress for baseload electric generating facilities if the Utilities Commission determines there is an overall cost savings for customers over the life of the generating facility. While proponents of the bill claim this will help cut customer costs, opponents say it will do the opposite by making customers pay billions for power plants that never actually get built. After a lengthy debate on the Senate floor, S 261 passed on an almost party-line 31-12 vote. The bill now heads to the House, where we will see if it gets treated with the same urgency as in the Senate.
On Tuesday this week, the Senate passed a highly controversial measure targeting the new Attorney General, Jeff Jackson, restricting his ability to target many of the recent Executive Orders from the Trump Administration. S 58, AG/Restrict Challenge to Presidential EOs, would prohibit the North Carolina Attorney General from filing an action or advancing any argument as a participant in any action pending in a state or federal court that would result in the invalidation of any executive order of the President of the United States. This is not the first piece of legislation taken up by the GOP-led General Assembly in recent sessions that seeks to reduce the executive branch's power. Over the course of the GOP-majority General Assembly, the powers inherent in the Governor and other branches have been stripped away one by one. Ultimately, most pieces of legislation wind up in litigation, but some have stuck, and others have been overturned. Moving forward, this will be another one to keep an eye on.
The House returns Monday at 1:00 PM and the Senate at 3:00 PM, but no votes are anticipated.
3.7.25
As the Legislature wrapped up the first week of March, we are starting to see momentum pick up as session heads into the spring and Crossover seasons. Once again this week, GOP lawmakers moved forward legislation that mirrors some of the national trends right now, including a bill introduced Monday by Senate leader Phil Berger that would ban DEI programs in all k-12 public schools. Also following this trend, is movement in another bill we have been monitoring that would require state law enforcement to cooperate with ICE. To date, there have been 592 bills filed this session, with 340 of those filed in the House and 252 in the Senate.
In keeping with the trend thus far in session of introducing legislation that tracks much of what is being put forward in the new Trump administration, Senate GOP leaders introduced a bill Monday that would ban DEI practices from k-12 schools.
S 227, Eliminating “DEI” in Public Education, was introduced by Senate leader Phil Berger. As mentioned in previous reports, it is rare for either the Speaker of the House, or the head of the Senate to actually put their name on a piece of legislation. Typically, this move is only made for bills that these members consider extremely important. S 227 would, among other things, prohibit public school units from engaging in or advocating for discriminatory practices, providing instruction to students on divisive content, or maintaining and office or other unit that promotes these practices or divisive concepts. The bill defines divisive concepts to include one sex or race being inherently superior to another, that one race or sex should feel guilty based solely on their race or sex, and that would promote meritocracy as inherently racist or sexist. S 227 appears to be moving quickly through the Senate as it passed Senate Education/Higher Education Tuesday and is back in Senate Rules where it may likely be on the Senate floor next week for a vote.
Another controversial bill that we have been monitoring passed the Senate this week and now awaits action in the House. S 153, North Carolina Border Protection Act, is another one of the few pieces of legislation sponsored by Senator Berger this session. S 153 would, among other things, require all state law enforcement, including State Highway Patrol, DPS, and the SBI, to enter into agreements with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and adopt policies to cooperate with ICE, it would require the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) to examine “covered State public benefits programs” to determine whether, and the extent to which, the benefits are being provided to unauthorized aliens. This could include certain Medicaid and other types of state funded programs. Finally, the bill waive governmental immunity from tort liability for cities and counties with sanctuary policies when an unauthorized alien commits a crime against a person or property within that jurisdictions corporate or county limits. S 153 passed the Senate on a 28-15 party line vote Tuesday and now sits in House Rules awaiting action.
As mentioned in the last few weeks, one primary priority for lawmakers this session is funding for Hurricane Helene disaster relief. H 47, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part 1, passed the House two weeks ago, but was taken up by the Senate this week, where the Senate made spending changes to certain versions in the original House bill. Among some of the highlights in the Senate’s version that rolled out this week include, $192 million for the agricultural crop loss program, $100 million to restore and rebuild private roads and bridges, $10 million to nonprofits, $4.5 million for school learning recovery, and the bill extends the state of emergency to the end of the fiscal year, June 30 2025. H 47 passed the Senate Wednesday unanimously and now heads back to the House for a concurrence vote. Should the House not concur, H 47 will go to a Conference Committee made up of select House and Senate members to work out differences in the bill before sending it back to either chamber for approval. H 47 would mark the fourth round of state funding for Helene recovery.
The House returns Monday at 11:00AM and the Senate at 2:00PM, but no votes are anticipated.
2.28.25
Lawmakers returned to Raleigh Monday evening following a week of no session as a result of the snow storm that hit most of the state last Wednesday and Thursday. To play catch up from the lost week, lawmakers hit the ground running by beginning appropriations committees this week as well as moving forward a range of bills through other committees. Despite the setback with being unable to meet last week, we have heard from leadership there are no plans to move back any deadlines for bill filing or crossover. In regards to bill filing, as of Thursday afternoon, 478 bills have been filed in both chambers with 257 in the House and 221 in the Senate. Some of the bills filed this week have been viewed as highly-controversial as Republican House and Senate leaders look to follow the lead of the new federal administration in what type of legislation to introduce.
It is typically a rare move for the Speaker of the House or President Pro Tem of the Senate to sponsor a piece of legislation. Usually this occurs for bills considered extremely important to leadership priorities and oftentimes can be considered controversial. However on Monday of this week, Senator Berger was the primary sponsor of a bill dealing with immigration enforcement and certain state funding for undocumented migrants. S 153, North Carolina Border Protection Act, would, among other things, require the Department of Public Safety, State Highway Patrol, and the SBI to cooperate with ICE, require the Office of State Budget and Management to examine “covered State public benefits programs” to determine whether, and the extent to which, the benefits are being provided to undocumented migrants, and would waive governmental immunity from tort liability for cities and counties that adopt sanctuary ordinances when a crime is committed by an undocumented migrant commits a crime against a person or property within the city or county limits. S 153 received a favorable report in Senate Judiciary and has been referred to Senate Rules.
In other news this week, the House unanimously passed additional funding to go towards Hurricane Helene relief efforts. H 47, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part 1, allots an additional $500 million for Helene recovery, focusing the funding on the rebuilding of homes that were damaged in the storm, debris clean up and the rebuilding of private bridges and roads. Additionally, a proposal suggested by Governor Stein, which would provide $15 million for grants to small businesses was added to the bill. North Carolina is due to receive about $16 billion from the federal government to assist with recovery, but much of these funds have not yet been received. Some of the funds allotted in H 47 would later be recouped by the state once those federal funds eventually are received. H 47 passed second and third reading in the House Tuesday on a unanimous vote. It now heads to the Senate where Senate leaders have not indicated how much they intend to spend at this phase of the recovery process.
The House returns Monday at 9:45AM and the Senate at 3:00PM, but no votes are anticipated.
2.14.25
Lawmakers wrapped up the third week of the legislative long session on Thursday. As session
gradually picks up pace, there has been little floor activity, with the Senate holding light voting
sessions this week, but the House is mainly only holding committee meetings until next week. That
being said, committees have started meeting in full, and a flurry of bills have been introduced in
both chambers since the start of session. To date, 235 bills have been introduced, with 131 of those
introduced in the House and 104 in the Senate.
The start of session also brings new leadership in the House after the longest serving House
Speaker Tim Moore left the General Assembly and is now in Congress. Newly minted Speaker
Destin Hall and other members now in ranking positions will help set the tone in the House for the
coming session. For the first time in memory, Speaker Hall’s office put out a calendar for session,
including days that there will be votes expected, days that will only have committees, and even
weeks designated for vacation. Meanwhile, Senate leadership remains similar to previous sessions
with Pro Tem Phil Berger leading that chamber.
A big focus of the session so far has been around Hurricane Helene relief funding, with the House
advancing a bill fleshing out specifics for how to allocate another $500 million in disaster relief. On
Tuesday, the special committee created for Helene relief voted to move forward a bill that
emphasizes repairs for private bridges and roads, damaged houses, and also provides financial
assistance to farmers who lost crops. The House is expected to hold a floor vote on the measure
next week.
There was also been movement on other significant pieces of legislation this week. The Senate
passed through a bill this week placing restrictions on health insurance coverage mandates. S 24,
Govt Mandates Increase Healthcare Costs, would, among other things, require any legislation
proposing a new health insurance coverage mandate to repeal an existing health insurance
coverage mandate. It would also require a recurring appropriation in the amount of the cost of the
mandate to the State Treasurer and State Health Plan. This controversial bill was the source of
intense debate in Senate Health this week before heading to the Senate floor where additional
debate was held. Ultimately, S 24 passed on a 30-15 party line vote and has been sent to the House.
The House returns Monday (2/17) at 11:00AM and the Senate at 4:00PM, but no votes are
anticipated.
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NCPA's Advocacy Efforts
The NC Psychiatric Association is a non-partisan organization that works to represent and advance the practice of medicine and psychiatry in North Carolina through the policy-making and legislative process. But what does that actually mean, and how do we advocate for our members and the mental health field?
- We have registered lobbyists who works hard to make sure psychiatrists, providers, and mental health professionals are at the table during important policy-making discussions and meetings.
- We attend legislative meetings and talk to legislators and other policymakers to ensure they have the facts about how legislative decisions will affect patients, providers, and others.
- We track legislation that affects the mental health field, including issues related to substance use disorders, and the practice of psychiatry.
- We are part of statewide coalitions, committees, and work groups that discuss mental health and substance use disorders to monitor issues, trends, and policies.
- We sponsor and participate in advocacy events at the General Assembly. Our members also participate in White Coat Wednesday events, where physicians attend the General Assembly to raise awareness of medical issues and the practice of medicine in North Carolina.
- We issue position statements and communicate with legislators, the Governor, and other government officials about the benefits and potential consequences of specific legislation and policies.
We encourage our members and the public to stay informed and involved, and we hope the resources found here will help you do that. |
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NCPA's Advocacy Events
Each year, NCPA holds Legislative Advocacy Days where members travel to Raleigh to meet with legislators at the NC General Assembly. These advocacy days allow members to experience the legislative process first-hand, meet directly with their district's legislators, and educate government officials about policy issues.
Many times, NCPA Advocacy Days will coincide with the NC Medical Society's White Coat Wednesdays. Members attend a policy education and training session and learn how to best approach legislators about important health care issues. These days are fast-paced and make an impact.
If you are interested in learning about or participating in an Advocacy Day, contact us!
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