Labor & Employment

in committee · North Carolina · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 746: Study Automation and the Workforce.

SB 746 establishes a 11-member Study Committee on Automation and the Workforce to examine how automation impacts North Carolina's labor market, with specific focus on low-income and minority workers. The committee will review effects of AI, robotics, self-service technologies, and software on jobs, analyze education gaps and systemic barriers, and recommend strategies to support affected workers through retraining and new economic opportunities. It must submit its first report to the Governor by the 2027 General Assembly, including specific policy proposals for mitigating negative impacts. This bill creates a study mechanism, not new laws or programs, to inform future state action.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill creates committee to study automation's impact on labor market, focusing on low-income/minority workers and recommending retraining strategies to support affected workers.85% confidence

Track

in committee · North Carolina · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SB 483: The Children First Act.

SB 483, "The Children First Act," expands affordable child care access for North Carolina families by increasing financial assistance eligibility to 85% of the state median income and raising subsidy rates to match 2023 market costs. It allocates $50 million annually for subsidies and $15 million for grants to establish new child care facilities in rural or underserved areas, targeting "child care deserts." The bill also creates an employer child care credit and includes workforce licensing reforms to address staffing shortages. These provisions directly affect low-to-moderate-income families, child care providers, and employers seeking to support working parents.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates $50M annual subsidies and $15M for child care facilities targeting 'child care deserts,' directly supporting public health outcomes like infant mortality and aligning with MEDICAID/MENTAL HEALTH subjects.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill expands affordable child care access via subsidies, employer credits, and facility grants, directly reducing employment barriers for parents and supporting workforce participation.85% confidence

Tags Children

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in committee · North Carolina · House Mar 26, 2025

HB 507: The Children First Act.

HB 507, "The Children First Act," expands affordable child care access for North Carolina families by increasing subsidy eligibility to 85% of state median income and raising subsidy rates to cover actual care costs. It allocates $50 million annually for subsidies and $15 million for grants to establish new child care facilities in rural or underserved areas, targeting "child care deserts." The bill also creates an employer-provided child care credit to incentivize workplace child care programs. These provisions directly affect low-to-moderate-income families, child care providers, and employers seeking to support working parents.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates $50M annual subsidies and $15M grants for child care, directly increasing state spending on public services and tax credits.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands child care access via subsidies and employer credits, directly supporting workforce participation and reducing barriers for working parents.95% confidence

Tags Children

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died · North Carolina · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SB 246: Create 13,000 Jobs Serving People With I/DD.

SB 246 increases North Carolina's Medicaid Innovations Waiver slots by 5,000 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and another 5,000 for 2026-2027, directly serving approximately 19,000 people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) currently on a waiting list. The bill allocates $134 million (2025-2026) and $357.34 million (2026-2027) in state funds to cover a state match for federal funds, enabling these slots to be distributed based on waitlist length. It requires that direct care workers receive at least $20 per hour and ensures unused slots are redistributed to providers meeting wage and service capacity standards. This policy aims to reduce the waiting list, support caregivers in returning to work, and stimulate local economies through new jobs and community-based services.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $134M (2025-26) and $357M (2026-27) in state funds for Medicaid waiver slots, directly increasing budgetary spending for public social services and disability care.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands Medicaid waiver slots by 10,000 (5k/year) for I/DD health services, allocates $491M in state funds to cover federal match, directly increasing healthcare access and funding for vulnerable populations.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentCreates 13,000 new direct care jobs via Medicaid waiver expansion, directly funding employment in healthcare sector per bill's title and EMPLOYMENT subject category.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 574: Workforce Development Pilot Project.

HB 574 establishes a Workforce Development Pilot Project in North Carolina. This bill provides funds to the Office of State Budget and Management to be allocated to the North Carolina Workforce Development Coalition (NCWDC). The NCWDC will then provide grants to eligible North Carolina-based employers, with 20 to 1,500 employees, to support employer-sponsored training programs. These grants aim to increase job creation, reduce employee turnover, improve wages, and upgrade worker skills, especially in industries with identified training gaps. Employers can receive up to 50% of eligible training costs or $2,000 per trainee, with a maximum of $40,000 annually per employer.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates state budget funds to workforce development grants, directly funding a program aligned with fiscal management and public investment per subjects list.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill funds employer training grants to improve wages, reduce turnover, and upgrade worker skills, directly advancing employment standards and worker benefits.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Workforce Development

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signed · North Carolina · House Jun 27, 2025

HB 568: 2025 Omnibus Labor Amendments.

HB 568 modifies North Carolina's labor laws primarily to streamline safety inspections and administrative processes. It restricts subpoenas against Department of Labor staff during safety investigations (except in enforcement cases or with written consent), limits public hearings for adopting federal safety standards identical to federal rules, and requires medical examiners to share workplace injury reports with the Labor Commissioner within 30 days. The bill also clarifies that safety inspection documents remain admissible in court without witness testimony unless reliability is in question. These changes affect the Department of Labor, employers, and workers' safety investigators by altering how evidence is handled and shared in workplace safety cases.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires medical examiners to share injury reports with Labor Commissioner within 30 days, improving safety data collection. Streamlines inspections without weakening safety standards.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Workers' Compensation Workplace Safety

signed · North Carolina · Senate Jul 1, 2025

SB 124: State Hiring Accessibility and Modernization.

SB 124 aims to make North Carolina state government hiring more accessible by reducing unnecessary barriers. It requires the State Human Resources Commission to review job requirements starting October 2025, removing mandatory four-year degree requirements where practical experience (like military service or trade school) is sufficient. The bill also modernizes the application process by allowing resume uploads to auto-fill forms and simplifies job postings to limit additional qualifications to five, ensuring applicants clearly see basic requirements. These changes apply to all state agencies hiring staff, directly affecting job seekers and hiring managers across North Carolina's government workforce.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRemoves unnecessary degree barriers for state hiring, expanding employment access for workers with military/trade experience per bill's focus on accessibility and modernization.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyModernizes hiring with tech features like auto-fill forms and resume uploads, listed under Information Technology subject.85% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill explicitly removes degree barriers for military service experience in state hiring, directly advancing veterans' employment access per subjects list and summary.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Employees