From the Field: NC Advocates Make Advances in Turbulent Legislative Session

The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned on September 30 following the longest session in more than a decade. Despite a difficult political climate, the North Carolina Housing Coalition (NCHC), an NLIHC State Coalition Partner, and housing advocates from across the state were able to protect and expand the state’s housing programs for the next two years.

NCHC successfully advocated for increased funding for the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund (NCHTF), the state’s HOME Match Program, and the Workforce Housing Loan Program (WHLP). The final budget, signed by Governor Pat McCrory (R) on September 18, included the following funding levels for FY16-17:

There also was a significant victory for tenants’ rights in the 2015 session. Advocates led by the NC Justice Center worked to pass H.B. 174, which provides additional protections to tenants living in properties at risk of foreclosure. The bill was specifically passed to cover the tenant protections lost through the expiration of the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act at the end of 2014.

Despite these successes, the 2015 legislative session presented serious challenges to fair housing. The Senate budget included language to repeal the North Carolina Fair Housing Act. NCHC and fair housing advocates were able to prevent the adoption of this language in the final budget. However, the Human Relations Commission, which oversees fair housing complaints in North Carolina, lost its recurring appropriation and was placed under a process known as Continuation Review. NCHC will make the continued funding of the Human Relations Commission a top priority when the General Assembly reconvenes for a short session in April 2016.

Advocates faced challenges until the very end of the 2015 session. In the final 48 hours, during the Budget Conference Committee, previously unseen language was added to an unrelated bill, S.B. 279, which would have negated existing local minimum housing codes. In addition to undoing minimum housing codes, the language would have prevented local governments from passing any ordinances that govern landlord-tenant relations. Other targets of the language were LGBTQ non-discrimination and living wage ordinances. NCHC rapidly responded to the threat by mobilizing its field. In response to a wave of constituent calls and emails, the language was removed through a bipartisan effort, and the bill passed without the last minute provisions.

NCHC and housing advocates across the state have much to celebrate following the conclusion of a turbulent year for the North Carolina General Assembly. NCHC, however, is already looking ahead to when the General Assembly reconvenes in 2016. According Samuel Gunter, Director of Policy and Advocacy at NCHC, “NCHC looks forward to continuing its advocacy for policies that give our state agencies, local governments, non-profits, and businesses the tools they need to build a North Carolina where everyone has a safe, decent, and affordable place to live.”

For more information, contact Samuel Gunter, Director of Policy and Advocacy at NCHC, at [email protected],