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Printable Versions: Color
B&W
Budget Report Card
Overview
NC Women United is a coalition of organizations and individuals
committed to advancing public policies that support the full economic, legal and
social equality of women. The 2003 Legislative Report Card reflects the legislative
priorities identified by our member organizations as key to promoting women’s
equality. The "NCWU Response" indicates our position on each legislative
item; legislation that is "pending" means that it is eligible for consideration
in the 2004 Short Session because it either passed one body of the NC Legislature
in 2003 or it has a budgetary impact. NCWU works to achieve its mission through
legislative advocacy, community organizing and grassroots activism. For more information,
see www.ncwu.org
~Access to Health Care~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Update insurance coverage for cervical and ovarian cancer screening (S388,
S887)
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Passed
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Establish a statewide Cervical Cancer Elimination Task Force (S648)
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Passed
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Amend the state constitution to recognize health care as a fundamental right
(H1098)
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Not passed
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Require insurance coverage for mental health and chemical dependency to mirror
that of physical health (H654)
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Not passed
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Repeal involuntary sterilization of persons with mental illness unless medically
necessary (H36,
S617)
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Passed
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Note: NCWU supports reproductive freedom for all women.
During the 2003 Legislative Session, 14 bills were introduced that, if passed,
would have undermined a woman’s fundamental right to make personal and private
childbearing decisions. NCWU opposed all 14 bills.
~Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Update the curriculum in NC schools to reflect medically and factually accurate
health education (S618,
H873)
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Not passed
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~Aging~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Study of a statewide system for criminal records checks, including long term
care facilities (S34,
H674)
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Not passed
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Special Assistance In-Home Program (to maintain at home frail elderly persons
eligible for assisted living) increased from 400 to 800 persons (S253,
H170)
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Included in Budget
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~Child Care~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Enhance the penalties for the operation of illegal day care centers (S877)
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Passed
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Require that babies sleep on their backs in daycare centers to decrease SIDS
and require DSS and local law enforcement to cooperate with medical community
in child abuse/neglect investigations (H152)
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Passed
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Prohibit dispensing medications to children in daycare without parental consent
(S226,
H109)
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Passed
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~Civil Rights~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Give local government the authority to enact anti-discrimination ordinances
in line with federal anti-discrimination laws (S798)
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Not passed
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~Clean Elections~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Provide a system for NC elections that complies with the federal Help America
Vote Act and help prevent duplicate names on jury lists (H842,
S858)
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Passed
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Support public funds for free elections, encouraging local candidates to spend
less on campaigns (S760)
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Pending
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Allow for election day voter registration (S745)
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Not passed
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~Domestic Violence~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Prohibit perpetrators in high risk domestic violence protective order cases
from possessing or purchasing firearms (S919)
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Passed
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Create a
rebuttable presumption
against awarding custody to a perpetrator of
domestic violence (S718)
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Pending
Talking points
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Clarify that a victim of domestic violence is not required to have a protective
order to qualify for unemployment benefits and may use other types of evidence.
(S439)
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Passed
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Clarify that a victim of domestic violence may renew a protective order multiple
times for "good cause" and ensure that consent orders are enforced appropriately
(H840,
S630)
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Passed
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Enhance penalties for serious assaults committed in the presence of a minor
child (H926)
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Passed
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~Pay Equity and Living Wage~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Enact livable state minimum wage (H37)
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Not passed
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Commission a study to discover the extent to which the lowest paid state employees
are women and minorities; examine factors and remedies (H544,
S747;
H674)
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Not passed
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Commission a study to determine what a true living wage is, how close North
Carolinians are to earning it, and factors that contribute to earning or not earning
it (H468,
S742;
H674)
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Not passed
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Extend unemployment benefits to persons seeking part-time work, improve the
definition of family hardship, improve regulation on benefits to those escaping
domestic violence, improve regulations on spouses forced to relocate (S439)
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Passed
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~Sexual Assault~
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Introduced Legislation
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Status
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NCWU
Response
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Create civil no-contact orders for sexual assault victims with no personal
relationship with the offender (H951/S916)
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Pending
Talking Points
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Require DNA samples and analysis of anyone convicted of a felony or violent
crime or found not guilty of these by reason of insanity (H79,
S7)
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Passed
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Explanation
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Fund DNA analysis of unprocessed rape kits in law enforcement departments and
investigate how many untested kits there are (H154,
S13;
S28)
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Not passed
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Create the offense of sexual battery (H1044,
S912)
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Passed
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NCWU overall view of this is
positive mixed
negative
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