Friend --

On Tuesday morning, members of the People’s Budget Coalition plan on lifting up our voices publicly to demand a budget that addresses the needs of the people.  We need your help in making phone calls to elevate our voice for a People’s Budget.

Take Action:

Phone calls to legislators: Reaching people with decision-making power. Folks across the state are flooding key legislator’s offices with calls all day about the budget. We want them to know that we expect a budget that works for the people, and that’s exactly what we’ll say when we call. Use our Phone2Action tool to call all your elected officials or call them directly. Sample scripts below. 

Sample Call Scripts: 

Personal stories are a powerful advocacy tool. If you have a personal story related to healthcare, housing or worker’s rights please consider sharing them with our elected officials

Call Script for NC Representatives:

Hi_________,

My name is __________. I’m a constituent calling from (city/county). I know you are in the midst of creating the budget for 2021-2023, and I am calling to ask you to prioritize healthcare, housing and fair wages/worker protections. There is currently $7.3 Billion in unreserved state funds that the NCGA could allocate to provide direct relief to our people.

Everyone deserves healthcare, housing, and fair wages. As your constituent, I am asking you to create a budget focused on the needs of the people, one that gives all of us a chance to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The $7.3 billion in unrestricted money gives our state an unprecedented opportunity to make bold investments in policies that will uplift North Carolinians and fundamentally improve their lives. Now more than ever, we must keep people in their homes and make sure that all workers have job protections like a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, and unemployment benefits. 

I’m also asking that you please expand Medicaid this year. The American Rescue Plan is offering a $1.7 billion dollar incentive to expand Medicaid, which would give over 600,000 North Carolinians the healthcare they need to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe.This extra $1.7 billion comes at the perfect time--just when we're on the verge of transforming the Medicaid program. These extra dollars can help strengthen Medicaid and other key areas of health care! 

Medicaid expansion can help boost the bottom line for rural hospitals, revitalize rural communities and make sure that people get the care they need. 

This has been a long and difficult year without a lot of good news or hope. Let’s make sure North Carolinians have what they need to recover. Please make it your priority to put our money to work helping the people of North Carolina who are most vulnerable in this crisis. Thank you.

Call Script for NC Senators:

Hi_________,

My name is __________. I’m a constituent calling from (city/county). I know you have passed a budget for 2021-2023, which unfortunately didn’t address the many needs of the people, especially those related to healthcare, housing and fair wages/worker protections. There is currently $7.3 Billion in unreserved state funds that the NCGA could allocate to provide direct relief to our people. So we have the money. Now we are asking that you add these priorities to the conference report.

Everyone deserves healthcare, housing, and fair wages. As your constituent, I am asking you to create a budget focused on the needs of the people, one that gives all of us a chance to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The $7.3 billion in unrestricted money gives our state an unprecedented opportunity to make bold investments in policies that will uplift North Carolinians and fundamentally improve their lives. Now more than ever, we must keep people in their homes and make sure that all workers have job protections like a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, and unemployment benefits. 

I’m also asking that you please expand Medicaid this year. The American Rescue Plan is offering a $1.7 billion dollar incentive to expand Medicaid, which would give over 600,000 North Carolinians the healthcare they need to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe.This extra $1.7 billion comes at the perfect time--just when we're on the verge of transforming the Medicaid program. These extra dollars can help strengthen Medicaid and other key areas of health care! 

Medicaid expansion can help boost the bottom line for rural hospitals, revitalize rural communities and make sure that people get the care they need. 

This has been a long and difficult year without a lot of good news or hope. Let’s make sure North Carolinians have what they need to recover. Please make it your priority to put our money to work helping the people of North Carolina who are most vulnerable in this crisis. Thank you.

Call Script for House Speaker Tim Moore:

Hi_________,

My name is __________. I’m a resident of (city/county) and I am calling on you, as a leader in the NCGA, to create a budget that prioritizes the needs of the people and ensures that all North Carolinians can fully recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.  There is currently $7.3 Billion in unreserved state funds that the NCGA could allocate to provide direct relief to our people. So we have the money.

We are asking for a people’s budget that invests significant resources into healthcare, housing, and fair wages. Now more than ever, we must keep people in their homes and make sure that all workers have job protections like a $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave, and unemployment benefits. 

I am also urging you to include Medicaid expansion in the budget. The American Rescue Plan is offering a $1.7 billion dollar incentive to expand Medicaid, which would give over 600,000 North Carolinians the healthcare they need to keep themselves and their families healthy and safe. This extra $1.7 billion comes at the perfect time--just when we're on the verge to transform the Medicaid program. These extra dollars can help strengthen Medicaid and other key areas of health care! 

Make it your priority to put our money to work helping the people of North Carolina who are most vulnerable in this crisis. Thank you.

In solidarity,

Action NC
http://www.actionnc.org/