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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...

  • Enforce Mental Health Parity in North Carolina

  • Ensuring Adequate and Qualified Workforce

  • Promoting Quality Behavioral Health Care Access

  • 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?
Visit APA’s Advocacy Action Center at psychiatry.org/advocacy for the latest information on APA’s
advocacy activities. The members-only Advocacy Action Center has an up-to-date list of recent actions taken by APA
 

Weekly Legislative Updates 

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.
 

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.
 

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!