New North Carolina laws include one allowing guns in private schools
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The Republican-led N.C. General Assembly, with the help of several Democrats, overrode several vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday, including one on Duke Energy's carbon reduction goals and another allowing guns in private schools.
Why it matters: The votes highlight the weakness of Stein's veto power over the Republican-led General Assembly, especially with multiple Democrats joining to pass bills despite Stein's opposition.
- Republicans already held a supermajority in the state Senate, but were one vote shy in the state House, meaning they needed to recruit at least one Democrat to get the bills past the veto.
Driving the news: The first bill to bypass the veto was Senate Bill 266, which eliminated an interim goal that requires Duke Energy to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030.
- It will also change how Duke Energy can set its rates and recover costs from its under-construction plants. Stein said he vetoed it because he believes it will cause ratepayers to pay higher bills.
- Two Charlotte Democrats, Reps. Nasif Majeed and Carla Cunningham, and Edgecombe County Rep. Shelly Willingham voted to override the veto.
State of play: So far, the General Assembly has overridden Stein's veto of eight of 14 bills, including:
House Bill 193: A bill that permits private schools to allow some employees or volunteers to carry guns on campus and act as security guards.
- Democratic Rep. Willingham joined Republicans to pass the law.
House Bill 318: The bill strengthens a previous statute that requires sheriff departments in the state to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Democratic Rep. Cunningham joined Republicans.
Senate Bill 416: The bill prohibits public agencies from collecting or releasing personal information about members, volunteers and donors to certain nonprofits.
- Supporters said the bill protects people from being intimidated based on their giving, while Stein said in his veto that it will encourage more dark money in politics and make it harder to crack down on tax fraud.
- Democratic Reps. Cecil Brockman, of Guilford County; Cunningham and Willingham joined Republicans.
Senate Bill 254: This bill shifts some oversight for charter schools in the state from the state Board of Education to the Charter School Review Board, a board that is majority-controlled by the Republican-led legislature.
- Reps. Brockman, Cunningham and Willingham joined Republicans in the vote.
House Bill 805: The bill included several changes, including excluding gender identity from state definitions of biological sex, allowing lawsuits against medical providers who perform gender transitions and banning state funds from being used for gender transition surgery.
- Democratic Rep. Majeed joined Republicans in the vote.
House Bill 549: This bill gives the state auditor access to data and records from any business or nonprofit that gets public funds. It's the latest power that Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek has added since his election.
- Democratic Rep. Willingham voted with Republicans.
House Bill 402: This bill requires that the General Assembly approve any regulation that would cost $20 million over a five-year period, which Republicans said stops overregulation by state employees.
- Stein had vetoed this bill, saying it would make it harder to regulate pollution in the air and water, like PFAS.
- Democratic Reps. Cunningham and Willingham joined Republicans in the veto override.