Increases the minimum wage from $6.15 per hour to $22 per hour, adjusted by CPI; requires equal wage rates regardless of sex; establishes paid sick time for all employers, including nonprofits, with 10 or more employees to care for a child, family member, parent, domestic abuse or sexual assault; establishes workplace safety requirements; establishes employee rights in an emergency; prohibits the inquiry or consideration of criminal history in hiring; creates a tax credit up to 100% for certain employment-related expenses; creates a presumption of exposure to pandemic infections at employment; companion to HB 339.

Requires sick leave be permitted to be used for care for a family member; companion to H.398.

Creates the Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights to clarify requirements and licensing for student loan servicers; requires student loan services respond to inquiries from borrowers, apply partial payments for certain occurrences, and proper evaluation of the income-based repayment program, public service loan forgiveness program and other repayment programs; prohibits certain conduct by student loan servicers; creates penalties; establishes an ombudsman to review complaints.

Increases the child tax credit to up to $250 per child; establishes the NC Paid Family Leave.

Requires employers, including nonprofits, to provide paid sick leave to care for the employee's immediate family member who is suffering from a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition that requires care, professional medical diagnosis or care, preventive medical care, or a routine medical appointment; to care for the employee's own physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition that requires care, professional medical diagnosis or care, preventive medical care, or a routine medical appointment; absence necessary due to circumstances resulting from the employee, or a family member of the employee, being a victim of stalking or domestic or sexual violence, for needs related to medical and psychological treatment, legal services and related issues; contains documentation requirements for employees seeking leave; provides for notice to employees and requires posting of notice in workplace; prohibits retaliation against employees taking leave under the Act; provides for enforcement.

Establishes the Family Empowerment Act to expand the Child Care Subsidy Program to make more families eligible for the subsidy, cap the amount paid for childcare, establish a tax credit for businesses offering at least four weeks of paid parental leave or paid family caregiving leave, and create a small business leave grant; appropriates $75 million.

Establishes the NC Child Care Finance Agency to assist child care providers access to capital funding.

Expands access to affordable and high-quality childcare by increasing childcare subsidy rates; provides an employer childcare tax credit; addresses the childcare workforce shortage through licensing and workforce development policies; companion to HB 507.

Expands access to affordable and high-quality childcare by increasing childcare subsidy rates; provides an employer childcare tax credit; addresses the childcare workforce shortage through licensing and workforce development policies; companion to S.483.

Requires employers, including nonprofits, to provide paid family leave; defines family in broadly inclusive way; provides covered individual with paid family leave for birth, adoption, or placement through foster care, to care for a new child within 12 months of the anticipated birth, adoption, or placement of that child, or if individual has a need to be absent from work before an actual placement of a child in order for an adoption or foster care to proceed; provides paid leave to those caring for a family member with a serious health condition, or caring for their own serious health condition; also eligible are those caring for a covered service member who is the covered individual's next of kin or other family member, or because of any "qualifying exigency leave" arising out of the fact that the family member of the covered individual is on active duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty) in the Armed Forces; sets limits on duration and amount of benefits; sets payroll contribution rates to fund the program; provides leave and employment protections and protects against retaliation; provides coordination of benefits, notice requirements, enforcement; includes reporting requirements; requires public education about the program in multiple languages; companion to HB 499.