RALEIGH, N.C. (CN) - North Carolina Republicans wielded their majority Tuesday, overriding Democratic Governor Josh Stein's vetoes en masse and passing a slew of legislation into law.
Among the overridden measures were bills facilitating longer detention for immigrants, expanding the power of the state auditor and increasing parental oversight in public schools.
The GOP majority, which lost their supermajority in the 2024 election by one seat in the state House, met Tuesday in a coordinated effort to overcome Stein's vetoes and provide the final green light for legislation.
Both chambers began session Tuesday morning to tackle the 14 bills that the General Assembly passed, but the governor stopped, while Stein simultaneously called for the legislature to pass a budget.
The veto overrides were the first during Stein's time as governor. His predecessor, Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, vetoed 104 bills in his two terms, and Republicans overrode 52 of his vetoes.
Democrats, which were largely in opposition to many of the bills passed Tuesday, could have prevented them from becoming law by maintaining full-party opposition in the House. Several Democrats broke from their party during votes in the House, joining with their Republican colleagues and allowing them to reach the three-fifths support necessary to pull off an override.
Among the bills passed was Senate Bill 318, the "Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act," which would modify the list of crimes that would trigger a jail administrator to determine the residency status of a detained person, including felonies, certain misdemeanors and impaired driving. If the detained person has an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and an administrative warrant, they will be held in custody for an additional 48 hours, or until ICE takes custody or rescinds the detainer.
Democrat Representative Carla Cunningham sided with Republicans in supporting the measure, saying on the House floor, "If you ask me to line up behind another group to raise awareness about their plight, I unapologetically say no."
Stein previously called the measure unconstitutional, saying that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is clear that local law enforcement officers cannot keep people in custody solely based on potential immigration violations. Republicans have said it is a common sense measure to reduce crime.
"North Carolina sheriffs must put public safety above politics and enforce the law, not help criminals escape it," Speaker of the House Destin Hall said.
Another successful override, a bill named "Prevent Sexual Exploitation/Women and Minors," began as a staunchly bipartisan measure to combat sexual exploitation in the porn industry. It required websites to verify that all performers were at least 18, had given written consent for each sexual act depicted and provided a straightforward process for removing content should a performer request it.
But the Senate revised it, altering it so the state will only officially recognize two sexes, and transgender individuals changing the sex on their birth certificate will have the old certificate attached and recorded as a joint document.
Under the new law, state funds, including those from government insurance, cannot be used for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or gender transition surgeries for minors. Hormones are also barred for incarcerated people, except in cases to prevent "medical complications resulting in imminent physical harm."
The law will also expand parental oversight in public schools, instructing them to adopt policies that allow parents to excuse their children from classes covering topics they object to on religious grounds. School boards are also directed to allow a parent or guardian of a student to identify books that their child is prevented from checking out at the school library.
The collateral damage in the measure is "demonstrably cruel," Representative Laura Budd said on the House floor, condemning lawmakers for including divisive issues in what had been a widely supported measure protecting victims of sexual exploitation.
Lawmakers also passed House Bill 549, expanding the power of the state auditor, Republican Dave Boliek, and allowing him to have access to databases and digital records from companies that receive funds from the state and the federal government. In his veto, Stein said the move gave Boliek an "intrusive power" into businesses.
Before the vote, state Senator Terence Everitt said the law sets a precedent "that transparency is for your enemies and power is for your friends."
In a statement, Boliek called the auditor's office a watchdog agency.
"The independent nature of this office is key to ensuring transparency and accountability in all levels of government," he said. "House Bill 549 protects the independence of the State Auditor's Office and enhances our ability to create a more effective, efficient, and accountable government."
Measures temporarily stalled include the permitless concealed carry of handguns, a bill requiring state agencies to enter into agreements with ICE, and several eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in schools and public agencies.
Hall said the legislature has time to take them up during this biennium.
The state's General Assembly passed several additional bills into law, including one that eliminates Green New Deal carbon reduction benchmarks, another that prevents state agencies from collecting financial donor information from nonprofits and one which allows employees at private schools to carry a concealed firearm.
The Republican-controlled chambers have agreed on many joint goals but have differed in their approach to budget drafting, unable to come to a compromise on the amount to spend in a biennial state budget.
Lawmakers returned from a summer break to tackle the override votes, and passed an adjournment agreement to return periodically throughout the remainder of the long session, with a mini-budget bill likely to pass this week as a stopgap.
Source: Courthouse News Service
