Republican Led General Assembly Overrides Eight of Governor Josh Stein’s Vetoes
Yesterday and today, the Republican led General Assembly overrode seven of Governor Josh Stein’s vetoes. Republicans have a supermajority in the North Carolina Senate and are one vote shy of a supermajority in the House.
Yesterday, the North Carolina Senate overrode twelve of Governor Stein’s vetoes, setting an all-time record for the number of veto override votes in one day in the North Carolina Senate. While the House successfully overrode, eight vetoes.
"Senate Republicans stood firmly against Gov. Stein's disastrous decision to veto bills that protect our citizens," Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said. "His vetoes lay bare his priorities. He wants schools to indoctrinate our children, bureaucrats to control your family, radical Green New Deal schemes to drive up your energy bills, and the government to infringe on your Second Amendment rights. We won't allow his radical agenda to take hold in North Carolina."
Speaker Destin Hall said, “Governor Stein and Democrats side with criminal illegal aliens, but the House stands with North Carolinians. North Carolina sheriffs must put public safety above politics and enforce the law, not help criminals escape it.”
In response to several Democrat legislators working with Republicans to pass legislation that aligns with their values and benefits their districts, North Carolina Democrat Party Chair, Anderson Clayton, released a statement saying, “Folks came out and overcame an extreme gerrymander to give Governor Stein the power of the veto. Today, because of the choices of a few individuals, that meant nothing. This is the type of behavior that causes people to be disillusioned by the Party.”
Here is a summary of the legislation Republicans successfully enacted over Stein’s veto:
Senate Bill 254: Charter School Changes — This was a technical bill that supports our public charter schools and school choice options in our state.
Senate Bill 266: The Power Bill Reduction Act — This proposal removes arbitrary Green New Deal carbon reduction benchmarks that drive up costs for you and implements a new financing mechanism to support clean, reliable, least-cost energy generation. It's estimated that this bill will save North Carolinians $15 billion.
Senate Bill 416: Personal Privacy Protection Act — This prohibits state agencies from accessing or disclosing the member, supporter, and volunteer lists of nonprofits unless provided otherwise in law.
House Bill 193: Firearm Law Revisions — This bill allows certain employees and volunteers at private schools to carry a concealed firearm as long as they have a valid concealed carry permit, allows individuals to conceal carry a handgun on an educational property that also serves as a place of worship, as long as school is not in session, and increases penalties for threatening and assualting elected officials.
House Bill 318: The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act — This bill strengthens our state's law that requires sheriffs to cooperate with ICE.
House Bill 402: Limit Rules With Substantial Financial Costs —The bill requires the General Assembly to approve any proposed rules being set by unelected bureaucrats that come with substantial financial costs.
House Bill 549: Clarify Powers of State Auditor — This bill updates the state laws governing the State Auditor's Office to ensure that he can adequately perform his duties.
House Bill 805: Prevent Sexual Exploitation/Women Minors — This conforms with President Trump's federal actions to define the two sexes in state law and sets clear regulations to ensure that adult content posted online without an individual's consent is removed.
Here are the bills sitting in the House, Republicans are working to build a coalition to override Stein’s veto.
Senate Bill 50: Freedom to Carry NC — This bill would ensure that North Carolina becomes the 30th Constitutional Carry state.
Senate Bill 153: North Carolina Border Protection Act — This bill requires state law enforcement agencies that report to Gov. Stein to cooperate with ICE. Additionally, it holds Sanctuary Cities accountable and protects taxpayers by making sure state-funded benefits are not given to illegal aliens.
Senate Bill 227: Eliminating “DEI” in Public Education — This proposal removes divisive "DEI" concepts, practices, and offices from our public K-12 schools. We want our schools to be focused on educating our children, not indoctrinating them.
Senate Bill 558: Eliminating “DEI” in Public Higher Ed — Like the K-12 DEI bill, this proposal bans "DEI" concepts, practices, and offices from our public higher education systems, including UNC System schools and community colleges.
House Bill 171 Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI — This legislation would eliminate DEI practices throughout state government, ensuring that protentional employees and current state employees and managed on the basis on merit not race or gender.
