North Carolina lawmaker introduces bill to broaden disability services, direct care worker pay

State Rep. Amos L. Quick, III has introduced a new measure aimed at enhancing disability services, raising support for direct care professionals, and expanding safeguards in educational settings, according to the North Carolina State House.

Designated as HB 1147, the bill was filed April 30 for consideration in the 2025 regular session, carrying the short title: ‘IDD Omnibus.’

Below is a summary based on the official bill text, with clarifying information as needed.

Essentially, the legislation proposes comprehensive reforms to bolster services and support for North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The bill would lift Medicaid rates so direct care workers receive a minimum of $18 an hour, increase Innovations waiver slots by at least 1,000, require a decade-long plan to meet unmet needs, and modernize the Medicaid buy-in for workers with disabilities by eliminating unearned income and asset limits. It provides funding to study and potentially establish a Medicaid community activities and employment program, starts a state rental assistance initiative and five-year housing subsidy schedule, and allocates state matching funds to secure additional federal vocational rehabilitation support. Additional measures prohibit prone restraints in schools, strengthen parent notification processes, require teacher training on restraint and seclusion, create a public discipline data dashboard, broaden special education scholarship access and high-cost grant programs, and instruct creation of the Office of Accessible Transportation and Mobility. Key funding components and provisions are slated to begin July 1, 2026.

Among the four sponsors backing the measure, Zack Hawkins introduced the largest number of bills, at 64, throughout the 2025 regular session.

North Carolina legislation passes through a multi-step process before becoming law. A legislator first files the bill, and it is then sent to committee for evaluation. Each chamber must give the bill three readings, and if changes occur after initial passage, both chambers must approve the revised version. Once both have agreed, the bill is submitted to the governor, who gets 10 days (or 30 if lawmakers are not in session) to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without signature.

Further information about legislative proposals and related actions is available here.

Quick is a University of North Carolina at Wilmington alumnus.

A Democrat, Quick has served in the North Carolina State House representing the 58th district since his 2017 election, following former Rep. Chris Sgro.