Legal & Policy Work

 

NCCADV Legislative Agenda 2023-2024

Increase funding to domestic violence service providers.

NCCADV promotes increased state funding to domestic violence service providers to ensure that service providers across the state have the resources needed to meet community demand for domestic violence intervention and prevention services.
 

Expand magistrate authority to issue DVPOs.

NCCADV advocates for legislative changes to G.S. 50B-2 to remove requirements that magistrate-issued emergency domestic violence protective orders be heard by a district court judge on the district court’s next open day of business. This change would improve court efficiency and eliminate practical barriers, such as transportation and employment, that often prevent petitioners from quickly returning to court.
 

Remove discriminatory and legally inaccurate language from the statutory definition of domestic violence relationships.

NCCADV supports amending the definition of “personal relationship” in G.S. 50B-1 to remove discriminatory “opposite sex” language for qualifying relationships. As of December 2020, this statutory language was found to be unconstitutional and should be amended to reflect the current state of the law.
 

Provide legal avenues for survivors of economic abuse to eliminate liability for debt incurred via economic abuse.

NCCADV advocates for legislation that provides an opportunity for survivors to eliminate their liability for debt incurred in their name via economic abuse methods, such as threat, coercion, force, or fraud.
 

Increase affordable housing opportunities for survivors. 

NCCADV supports legislation that increases emergency and long-term affordable housing opportunities for survivors of domestic violence. Survivors across the state struggle to find and maintain affordable housing, which is a major barrier in recovering from and preventing future violence.
 

Enact paid leave policies, providing access to parental leave, medical leave, safe days, and kin care leave for all North Carolina workers. 

NCCADV advocates for the passage of paid leave policies, as we know that these policies prevent domestic violence by strengthening family bonds and increasing economic security within families. We also recognize the ways that paid leave provides financial stability and time to seek healing and relief for people experiencing domestic violence.

 

Legislative Summaries 

Past Legislative Summaries

 

Legal & Policy Program

NCCADV's Legal & Policy Program consists of our Legal Director and Policy Director. Through these roles, our attorneys partner with survivors, domestic violence service providers, and allied professionals across the state to improve survivors' access to the services and prevent domestic violence. We develop and facilitate trainings on current legal issues impacting survivors, and we provide legal information in the form of technical assistance to partners across North Carolina.