2023 Legislative Accomplishments

The highlights of the 2023 North Carolina Legislature accomplishments, in the areas of Election Integrity, Child Well-being, Ending Wokeness, Education, School Choice, School Safety, Government Accountability, Workforce Development, Agriculture/Rural Development/Energy, Second Amendment, Law Enforcement and First Responders, Public Safety, Heath Care, and Budget. Thank your state senators and representatives for their actions!

2023 North Carolina Legislative Accomplishments

 

Election Integrity

  • End political interference and partisan control over election administration (SB 749)
  • Establish election day as absentee deadline, empower poll workers, and prohibit Zuck Bucks (SB 747)
  • Ensure greater public access to voting records (HB 770)

Child Well-Being

  • Enhance penalties for performing adult entertainment in presence of a minor (SB 579)
  • Prevent biological men from competing in women’s sports (HB 574)
  • Prohibit gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors (HB 808)
  • Protect unborn lives and expand care for women, children, and families (SB 20)
  • Enhance child abuse penalties (HB 748)
  • Increase access to caring homes for children in foster care system (HB 815)
  • Require age verification for pornographic websites (HB 8)
  • Improve safe surrender laws for infants (HB 125)
  • Improve star rating system for childcare facilities (SB 291)
  • Make it easier to recruit childcare workers (SB 722)
  • Strengthen and improve state adoption laws (SB 615)

End Wokeness

  • Prohibit state investments from being used to push liberal ESG agenda (HB 750)
  • Ensure state employees are not required to endorse political or social beliefs (SB 364)
  • Require public colleges to be neutral on political controversies (SB 195)
  • Ban government COVID-19 vaccine mandates (HB 98) 

Education

  • Strengthen parental rights over child’s education, well-being, privacy, and safety (SB 49)
  • Require computer science credit for high school graduation (HB 8)
  • Expand K-12 teacher professional development opportunities (HB 26)
  • Address teacher shortages by recognize out-of-state teacher licenses (HB 824)
  • Promote youth outdoor recreational activities through grants and programming (SB 22)

School Choice

  • Enact universal school choice for all North Carolina families (HB 823)
  • Increase access and streamline approval of charter schools (HB 219, HB 618)
  • Expand option for virtual charter school instruction (HB 149)

School Safety

  • Establish school safety exercises, programs, and threat assessment teams (HB 605)
  • Protect students from sexual crimes and unreported assaults (HB 142)
  • Require character education in schools to reduce bullying (HB 253)
  • Improve school discipline and conduct standards (HB 188) 

Government Accountability

  • Hold localities accountable for not fulfilling annual audit (HB 122, SB 299)
  • Reduce unnecessary and burdensome government regulations (HB 600) 
  • Express support for term limits on U.S. Congress (HJR 151)
  • Call for convention of states to rein in federal overreach (HJR 235)

Workforce Development

  • Eliminate unnecessary 4-year college degree requirements for state jobs (HB 210)
  • Strengthen work requirements for SNAP food benefits (HB 747)
  • Promote vocational training and apprenticeships in high schools (HB 282)

Agriculture, Rural Development, and Energy

  • Provide regulatory relief and certainty for farmers and promote agritourism (SB 582)
  • Expand access and expedite funding for rural broadband internet (HB 197)
  • Remove regulatory barriers to utilize nuclear energy (SB 678)
  • Prevent CA-style mandates banning home energy sources and appliances (HB 130)

Second Amendment

  • Repeal unnecessary and arbitrary pistol purchase permit (HB 50)
  • Create statewide safe firearm storage awareness initiative (HB 72)
  • Protect Second Amendment rights and promote safe firearm storage (SB 41)

Law Enforcement and First Responders

  • Enhance penalties for assaulting an officer and firing at emergency vehicles (HB 34)
  • Extend Firefighter Cancer Program (HB 259)
  • Create the Medal of Valor Award for first responders (HB 387)

Public Safety

  • Increase penalties for rioting, looting, and assaulting an officer (HB 40) 
  • Increase penalties for “street takeovers” and dangerous stunt driving (SB 91)
  • Expand support and protections for human trafficking survivors (SB 626)
  • Strengthen penalties for drug dealers responsible for overdoses (HB 250)
  • Enhance efforts to combat fentanyl and overdose epidemic (SB 189)
  • Make it harder for violent offenders to bond out of jail (HB 813)
  • Stiffen penalties for vehicle break-ins (SB 409)
  • Strengthen anti-trespassing laws and property owner protections (SB 246)
  • Increase penalties for attacks on electrical substations and critical infrastructure (SB 58)
  • Enhance elevator safety requirements for rental homes (HB 608)

Health Care

  • Expand healthcare access by empowering physician assistants (HB 75)
  • Promote ethical advertising for substance use disorder treatments (HB 415) 
  • Require parental consent for 16- or 17-year-olds to donate blood (SB 389) 

Budget

  • Slashes personal income taxes, returning $1.2 billion to families.
  • Expands universal school choice to all North Carolina families.
  • Allocates $2 billion for water and sewer infrastructure upgrades.
  • Provides 7.4% raise for teachers, increasing average teacher pay to $60,671.
  • Funds implementation of voter ID requirement.
  • Provides 11% raise (16.5% with step increases) for State Highway Patrol.
  • Gives state retirees a 4% cost-of-living-adjustment bonus.
  • Directs 9% raise for school bus drivers.
  • Provides historic $640 million for mental health.
  • Allocates millions for programs supporting veterans in need

 

Thank your state senators and representatives!  Their contact information can be found here.