Bill > H339

This bill aims to advance economic security in North Carolina through a comprehensive set of labor and economic reforms. It raises the state minimum wage to $22 per hour, with annual adjustments for inflation, and mandates equal pay for equal work by prohibiting wage discrimination based on sex and requiring employers to provide comparable compensation for similar job duties. The bill establishes a new Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act that requires employers to provide paid sick leave, accruing one hour for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of 32-56 hours per year depending on the size of the business. It also introduces workplace safety protections, including heat exposure and emergency evacuation guidelines, and creates new rights for employees during emergency conditions. The legislation increases unemployment insurance benefits, with the weekly maximum rising from $350 to $680, and extends benefits to a flat 26 weeks. Additionally, the bill reinstates the Earned Income Tax Credit at 5% of the federal credit, creates a new tax credit for child and dependent care expenses, and provides a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees in various state retirement systems. Other provisions include "banning the box" for public employment by limiting criminal history inquiries, repealing restrictions on public employee collective bargaining, and creating a presumption that first responders and essential workers who contract certain diseases did so through work. The bill also introduces new protections against wage theft, including the ability for employees to place liens on employer property for unpaid wages.

Government Affairs

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H339