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Governance
A bill introduced by Republicans in the NC House would raise the retirement age for North Carolina judges and magistrates from 72 to 76. Both the Republican Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court and a Republican Appeals Court Judge would be set to retire within the next four years under the current rules, meaning that if a Democrat is elected governor in the 2024 election, this bill would prevent that governor from appointing replacements to those two key seats.
Fair Representation
The NC State Board of Elections is seeking public comment on a proposed rule change that would limit punishment of political campaigns and PACs for first-time violations of campaign finance rules. Under the proposed policy, the board would not require campaigns and PACs to forfeit prohibited donations of less than $1,000 per election cycle, and they would not assess additional penalties beyond requiring forfeit of donations for first-time violators with total campaign spending of $1,000 to $10,000.
Education Policy
On Tuesday the NC House K-12 Education Committee voted to advance a Republican-sponsored bill that would place on the ballot a constitutional amendment to remove the governor’s power to appoint members of the State Board of Education, instead making seats on the board elected. HB 17, which received a 16-9 vote in the committee with one Democratic representative joining the Republicans in supporting it, would also make the state superintendent of public instruction the chair of the board.
Economic and Housing Policy
On Tuesday the NC Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance a bill that would extend tenant protections to someone living in a hotel, motel, or campground only after they had been there for 90 days. A similar bill was vetoed in 2021 by Governor Cooper; opponents of the bill say it does not offer adequate protections for low-income families and students.
Health Care Policy
On Wednesday Republicans in the NC House filed a bill to expand Medicaid in North Carolina. Democrats have long pushed to expand Medicaid in the state to close the “coverage gap,” and last year Republicans finally signaled interest in working with them to do so. The lead sponsor for the bill, Republican Rep. Donny Lambeth, originally wanted to include work requirements but worked with Governor Cooper’s Department of Commerce to craft job training incentives instead, since work requirements have consistently been found to be unconstitutional by the courts. Despite support in the House, the bill lacks changes that Senate Republicans have pushed for, which may signal stalled progress in negotiations.
LGBTQ Rights
On Tuesday the NC Senate passed SB 49, a controversial bill that would ban the mention of anything related to gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality in classrooms up to the 4th grade level and require schools to inform parents if students want to change their pronouns. The bill, which passed in a 29-18 party-line vote, is expected to be vetoed by Governor Cooper, but Republicans are also likely to try to override that veto. Earlier on Tuesday, Democrats introduced their own “Parents’ and Students’ Bill of Rights” to counter SB 49, the so-called “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
Criminal Justice
On Wednesday the NC House passed a controversial “anti-rioting” bill with enough votes to sustain a veto override, with 6 Democrats joining Republicans to support the bill. HB 40 would increase felony penalties for rioting charges, including a required holding period of 24 hours (down from the 48 hours originally proposed) for arrested rioters. Critics, including Democracy North Carolina, charge that the bill would be used to disproportionately target Black protestors and that it would have a chilling effect on speech.
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