2021 Advocacy Agenda – Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy

Posted on December 31, 2020

We believe our community deserves:

Download a printable list of our 2021 Advocacy Priorities here.

Make our legal systems fair and accessible to all.
Empower and support racial equity and justice initiatives.
Ensure access for people for whom English is not their primary language
Promote universal representation in civil legal matters.
Restore state funding for legal service programs to expand civil legal aid across NC.

Reform the NC unemployment insurance program to provide financial security to workers affected by the pandemic.
Advocate for tax regulations that benefit low-income taxpayers, including the Earned Income
Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
Enforce consumer rights regarding rent-to-own contracts, contracts for deeds and other alternative home-financing arrangements.
Secure safety and stability for immigrant victims of domestic violence and their children.
Remove barriers to and expand Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other federal and state cash assistance programs.

Alleviate collateral consequences of the criminal justice system to promote fair employment, housing, education, credit, and equal opportunity.
Expand eligibility for and access to criminal record expunction and driver’s license restoration.
Establish a living wage, strong workplace protections, paid sick leave, and regular schedules, especially for essential workers, to promote economic security, mobility, and independence for working people.
Expand immigrants’ ability to gain lawful employment.

Expand outreach to Black, Indigenous, Latino, and other communities of color.
Address systemic racism in consumer matters, healthcare, access to public benefits, and other areas of our practice.
Protect people of color from inequities in our civil legal system.
Obtain and sustain stability in communities of color.

Advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that recognizes the humanity and value of immigrants.
Expand access to affordable, reliable, high quality legal services to immigrants in removal proceedings.
Help unaccompanied minors and their sponsors obtain immigration relief.

Preserve and expand affordable housing units and prevent homeowner and tenant displacement from affordable housing.
Enforce CARES Act protections against mortgage foreclosure to protect home stability and generational wealth in low-income communities.
Fight predatory real estate investors that steal equity and displace homeowners.
Protect homeowners from abusive collection and foreclosure practices on the part of community associations.
Provide local property tax relief and public and private assistance to prevent tax foreclosures.
Represent immigrant tenants facing eviction and unsafe living conditions to promote housing stability, health, and wellbeing.

Promote Medicaid expansion without work requirements in NC.
Protect and enhance the Affordable Care Act by increasing access to affordable coverage and expanding the enrollment period.
Ensure access to quality health care for Medicaid recipients under NC’s overhaul and privatization of the Medicaid program.
Eliminate barriers to care for veterans in regional VA Health Care facilities.
Promote timely access to care for children served by local healthcare management entities.

Ease the burden of applying and recertifying for food and nutrition services.
Protect clients from unfair overpayment and fraud claims involving food and nutrition services.
Expand language services for people applying for food and nutrition services.
Enhance availability of Pandemic EBT and expand other programs to ensure children have access to food.
Restore NC’s ability to seek waiver of strict work requirements for SNAP beneficiaries.