News from the Friends Committee on North Carolina Legislation (FCNCL)
July 2022
Save the Date. The 2022 Annual Meeting of the General Committee is Saturday, October 8. More information will be provided closer to that date.
Invitation to join us. We have 25 General Committee members from 13 Meetings. Marian Beane serves as representative of PF. We encourage other Yearly Meetings, Monthly Meetings, and other Quaker organizations in NC to name up three representatives to our General Committee. We also invite anyone with special interests and expertise on any of our policy priorities to team with us to craft policy Alerts; help our Communications group develop and issue our announcements; send friends to our website to grow our membership; and most importantly — respond to our Alerts and build relationships with your representatives! If interested, ask any of us (or email us info@fcncl.org) how to get more involved.
Help discern the next set of FCNCL Policies.The 2023 Policy Discernment process has begun and eight meetings have responded. The Policy Committee is compiling the results and will meet for a worship sharing regarding Meeting recommendations on June 13. We will have a report ready to pass onto the Executive Committee in July for their review.
End of the 2022 Short Session pile-up! A series of Action Alerts has been sent out to wrap up the end of the Session. Look for it in your email and on the website.
Progress on Medicaid Expansion. A high priority for FCNCL this session was to encourage the Legislature to expand Medicaid. We sent out several action alerts over the past year, and we are pleased to hear that there is a good chance that movement on this important issue may be on the near horizon! This spring a House-Senate special committee met to consider this issue and invite speakers from Michigan, Montana, and Indiana to report on the successes and challenges in their states resulting from expanding Medicaid using Federal dollars from the health care law passed in 2010. While most emphasized how expansion is fiscally responsible and results in improved outcomes by treating otherwise undetected cancers, for example, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich also raised a moral argument and spoke of the need for compassion for the least fortunate. We heartily agree, and want to thank all who “chopped wood and carried water,” writing letters to our legislators to encourage this expansion. Legislators may still come back to consider this bill in a late July or in a lame duck session after the election. We need to keep contact with members of the House until this is finally passed.
Progress on Forever Chemicals. A bill on “Forever chemicals” – aka PFAS (HB 1095) – is getting some renewed interest in the legislature. Those who took part in our advocacy workshop back in January were urged their legislators to support PFAS cleanup by polluters. This will not be acted on this year.
Progress on Gun Violence. Given the long overdue need to promote gun safety, especially in light of the numerous mass shootings which have occurred, two bills which have been in the House Rules committee since last May need our attention now. HB 525 would enable judges to block people who pose a threat to themselves or others from possessing firearms (“red flag law”); and HB 623 would mandate permits to purchase shotguns and rifles. Look out for an action alert on these bills!
Activating Advocacy. In January, the Strategic Advocacy and Education (SAE) committee in conjunction with the Policy Committee presented “Activating Advocacy: How to Lobby the NCGA… This Year,” a well-received workshop coinciding with the return of legislators to the state capital and in anticipation of the start of the short session of the North Carolina General Assembly. The presenters discussed effective ways to connect with legislators, focusing specifically on two bills that considered forever chemicals (PFAS) and the partition of heirs’ property. The workshop is a step toward FCNCL’s goal of expanding our mission to include both legislation and relationship building with North Carolina legislators. This means educating them and building influence with them over time in our priority topic areas. With the General Assembly making dangerous decisions that will hurt the most vulnerable among us, it’s urgent that we amplify our efforts and build our collective power.
Continuing on that work, we hope to plan and organize a state-wide FCNCL Lobby/Advocacy Day in Raleigh early in the 2023 Legislative Session (probably February 2023). Let us know if you are willing to help plan and stay tuned for more information.
Visit Our Website – fcncl.org. Our website contains much valuable information that has been extended over the past year, including our newsletters, archived Action Alerts, Fact Sheets, and our revised Racial Justice/Antiracism Statement. Going forward, the website will have information about our Priorities Discernment process added for 2022 and information about the Annual Meeting of the General Committee in the fall.
Check out our Facebook pages. We have two Facebook pages – the main one is for the public and contains postings of events, alerts, fact sheets, changes in policy, and other relevant information. The Facebook group is for conversation and the administrator has to accept a request for someone to join. Both have been stagnant over the past months. Bill Horne of the Communications Committee has agreed to update these pages and monitor our social media so these can again be a vital source for the exchange of information.
Take Action by helping to educate each other. If you have an area of expertise or information about a specific area related to one of our Policy Priorities, consider sharing a draft Fact Sheet to share with the Policy Committee that might be put on our website to share with others. Let us know about your potential interest at info@fcncl.org.
From the FCNCL Nominating Committee. FCNCL is governed by a General Committee consisting of representatives from participating meetings. Our work is coordinated by several committees (see https://fcncl.org/organization/). We are always looking for Friends with the time and energy to join us in this important work. If you would like to join a committee, contact one of the co-clerks of the Nominating Committee.
Marian Beane — marian.beane@gmail.com
Dorothy Mason — hmason@triad.rr.com
Learn More About FCNCL. Quakers have a long history of letting their lives speak in the political arena to bring a voice of conscience. FCNCL aims to build on that legacy. We advocate for NC policies that support people of all cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds; marriage and gender equality; violence prevention; civil and voting rights for all citizens; access to quality education opportunities; quality healthcare for all; an equitable and humane criminal justice system; environmental stewardship; and opposition to all forms of torture and extreme rendition.
Learn more about the organization and sign up for action alerts at the FCNCL website. Encourage your meeting to appoint representatives if they have not done so. Plan to attend a workshop. Ponder the queries raised in our Annual Meeting discernment. We hope you’ll feel led to join us.
Gratitude. We would like to give a shout out of thanks to the Monthly Meetings, Yearly Meetings, and individuals who contributed financially to FCNCL and to all the volunteers and participants that made this such a successful year for FCNCL. Our budget is small but necessary and your gifts of time and money make it all possible.