House committee substitute makes the following changes to 1st edition. Deletes amendments to GS 115C-12, which added the duty to develop and implement digital competency standards to the list of State Board of Education responsibilities in that statute. Amends GS 115C-296 (concerning personnel programs and licensure standards) to direct the State Board of Education (SBE) and the UNC Board of Governors to require students in teacher preparation programs to demonstrate digital teaching and learning competencies. Makes organizational changes to clarify licensure standards and teacher education programs. Requires at least two continuing education credits in digital teaching and learning as a license renewal requirement. Makes a conforming change to subsection (c1) and to GS 115C-284, requiring similar competencies for lateral entry teachers and students in school administration preparation programs. Makes clarifying changes to the bill title. Effective July 1, 2017, and applicable to the 2017-18 school year.

Effective when the act becomes law, directs the SBE to develop digital teaching and learning competencies for schools, teachers, and administrators.

House committee substitute makes the following changes to 1st edition. Amends GS 105-228.5(d)(3) to credit 45% of the net proceeds of the additional tax on gross premiums on insurance contracts for property coverage to the Workers' Compensation Fund (previously credited 27% to the Workers' Compensation Fund and 18% to the NC Firemen's and Rescue Squad Workers' Pension Fund).

House committee substitute makes the following changes to 1st edition. Makes clarifying changes.

Public policy issue. Enacts new Article 3A of GS Chapter 95, to be cited as the Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act (HFHW Act). Denotes that state public policy in promoting the general welfare of the people of North Carolina requires the enactment of new Article 3A under the police power of the state.

Definitions. Provides definitions for the following terms as used in the HFHW Act: (1) child, (2) domestic violence, (3) employee, (4) employ, (5) employer, (6) federal act, (7) health care provider, (8) immediate family member, (9) parent, (10) paid sick time or paid sick days, (11) sexual assault, (12) stalking, and (13) small business.

Exemptions. Provides that the proposed HFHW Act does not apply to (1) bona fide volunteers in an organization where an employer-employee relationship does not exist or (2) any person who is exempt from the Wage and Hour Act under GS 95-25.14(a)(2) through (8), GS 95-25.14(b), GS 95-25.14 (b1), GS 95-25.14(c), and GS 95-25.14(e). Makes an exception regarding domestic workers, providing that they are exempt only if they are employed in the place of residence of their employer.

Paid sick time accrual. Provides that paid sick time begins to accrue at the start of employment at a rate of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Provides additional guidelines regarding discretionary advancement of sick time by the employer, limits on the amount of paid sick time accrued, and the accrual of paid sick time when there is a separation of employment followed by a rehiring by the same employer. Provides that with the exception of the specified exemptions to the proposed HFHW Act, any employee who works in North Carolina and who must be absent from work for the reasons delineated in proposed new GS 95-31.5(a) is entitled to paid sick time.

Use of paid sick time. Directs that paid sick time is to be provided by an employer to an employee who meets any of the following reasons listed in proposed new GS 95-31.5: (1) to care for a member of the employee's immediate family suffering from health issues or to care for the employee's own health, unless the care is covered under federal lawor (2) to allow an employee to address the psychological, physical, or legal effects on himself or herself or an immediate family member of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Permits the employer to require certification of the qualifying health issue or event when a paid sick time period covers more than three consecutive work days. Provides guidelines for determining what may be deemed acceptable certification.

Provides that an employer may not require certification from a health care provider that is employed by the employer. Prohibits an employer from requiring the disclosure of details relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or an employee's medical condition as a condition of providing paid sick time to an employee. Directs an employer to treat as confidential any information that the employer acquires about the employee or the employee's immediate family regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or health conditions. Prohibits the employer from requiring an employee to secure a replacement worker as a condition of providing sick time under the proposed HFHW Act.

Directs the employee to make a good faith effort, when the use of sick time is foreseeable, to provide the employer with advance notice.

States that this act provides minimum requirements regarding paid sick time and should not be construed to limit, preempt, or otherwise affect other applicability of law, regulation, or policy that extends additional or greater protections to employees, nor should this proposed act be construed to discourage employers from adopting more generous paid sick time policies.

Provides that employers already offering a paid sick time policy do not have to modify that policy providing that the paid sick time policy currently in place offers an employee, at his or her discretion, the option to take paid sick time that is equivalent to the amount and for the same purposes offered under the proposed HFHW Act.

Notification, posting, and records. Requires employers to provide notice to employees, in Spanish and English, of their entitlement to paid sick time as well as other related information. Notice may be provided by supplying each employee with a notice in Spanish and English or by conspicuously displaying a poster in the place of employment in both languages. Prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who request or use paid sick time. Provides that an employee has a right to file a complaint with the Commissioner of Labor (Commissioner) or in the General Court of Justice if an employer (1) denies an employee paid sick time or (2) retaliates against an employee for requesting or taking paid sick time.

Enforcement. Authorizes the Commissioner to enforce and administer the provisions of the proposed HFHW Act. Provides criteria regarding employer's liability for a violation under the proposed HFHW Act, including provisions for the potential awarding of liquidated damages for a violation of the act. Directs that actions under the proposed HFHW Act must be brought within two years pursuant to GS 1-53. Also provides that the rights and remedies created under the HFHW Act are supplementary to all existing common law and statutory rights and remedies. Directs the Commissioner to adopt rules to implement the proposed act.

Provides that the provisions of the proposed act are severable.

Makes conforming changes to GS 95-241(a).

Contains a number of whereas clauses.

EffectiveJuly 1, 2013, and applies only to covered employment on or after that date and does not apply to any collective bargaining agreement entered into beforeJuly 1, 2013, that is still in effect on that date.

Amends GS 163-82.3 to direct the State Board of Elections (Board) to develop an online application for voter registration that may be filled in online or printed out as a blank form. Requires that the online form allow a user with the proper software to save the data and prompt the user to download mailing addresses (1) for the board of elections based on the user's county of residence or (2) for all county boards of elections.

Enacts new GS 163-82.5A regarding online voter registration in Article 7A of GS Chapter 163. Provides that the section applies to an individual who meets both of the following requirements: (1) is eligible to register to voteand (2) has a current and valid North Carolina driver's license, learner's permit, or provisional license, or a special identification card for non-operators issued under GS 20-37.7. Individuals who meet the stated requirements may submit a voter registration application online.

Requires the Board to establish a secure Internet site to allow individuals meeting the prescribed requirements to submit voter registration applications.

Provides thatthe secure website is to allow qualified individuals to submit an application to do the following: (1) register to voteor (2) report a change in name, address, or party affiliation. In addition, the secure web site is to allow the individual to submit information demonstrating that individual's eligibility to register online.

Directs the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to compare the information submitted by the individual to verify eligibility to register online with information maintained in the DMV's database of persons in North Carolina who have a current and valid NC driver's license or other acceptable identification as specified in this section. Upon confirmation that the applicant has current and valid identification as specified under these provisions, the DMV is required to submit the completed application andits verification of eligibility to the county board of elections in the county where the applicant currently resides.

Provides that if the DMV is unable to confirm the applicant's eligibility, it is to send notice to the county board of elections of the county where the applicant resides of the inability to confirm the information provided. Directs the county board of elections to notify the applicant via U.S. mail and by e-mail if the applicant provided an e-mail address with the online registration that that the application cannot be processed.

Effective December 1, 2013.