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Cherokee County DSS reviews NCACDSS 2026 legislative priorities and local impacts
Summary
Director McGee reviewed the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services’ 2026 legislative priorities — including funding for the additional 25% FNS administrative cost under H.R.1, guardianship and APS funding, workload studies, and NC FAST modernization — and discussed potential county-level advocacy.
At the March 17 meeting the Cherokee County Department of Social Services board heard a review of the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services (NCACDSS) 2026 legislative priorities and talking points. Director Amanda T. McGee presented the priorities and their implications for county budgets and service delivery.
The priorities detailed in the materials and discussed with the board include state funding to cover the additional 25% administrative share for Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) created by federal H.R.1, measures to maintain SNAP/FNS benefit integrity, increased recurring funding for public guardianship and Adult Protective Services (APS), and funding for a statewide child welfare workload study tied to staffing recommendations. The presentation also emphasized technology investments in NC FAST (North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology) to reduce error rates, improve timeliness, and ease staff burden.
Materials in the packet quantify potential county impacts tied to H.R.1 and other proposals (for example, estimates of reduced federal FNS reimbursements and recommended funding levels for staffing increases based on workload study findings). McGee reviewed the NCACDSS guidance for local advocacy — recommending engagement with the local board of commissioners, county manager and state legislators — and encouraged the board to use provided talking points when communicating with local and state officials.
No formal board-level legislative action was recorded; the minutes indicate the priorities were reviewed and the board received the talking points for local advocacy.
