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Legislators in the NC House introduced a bipartisan bill last week to legalize online sports gambling. HB 347 would allow betting on collegiate, professional, Olympic, and esports. The bill is similar to one that failed by one vote last year, but this year’s bill has drawn more sponsors from both sides of the aisle. Governor Cooper has indicated he would sign the bill if it passes.
Governance
Both the Governor’s office and the NC General Assembly moved last week to address challenges in filling state government jobs. On Monday, Governor Cooper issued an executive order directing the Office of State Human Resources to include language in job postings that experience can substitute for education in most cases. On Tuesday legislators in the NC Senate introduced a bill to evaluate state job descriptions and remove college education requirements where experience could be substituted. SB 239 passed the Senate’s State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday.
Fair Representation
On Tuesday the NC Supreme Court heard arguments in a rehearing of the redistricting case decided by the previous NC Supreme Court late last year. The newly majority-Republican court’s decision to rehear the case is unusual and signals that the court is likely to reverse the ruling in favor of Republican state legislators, who argue that they should be allowed to draw maps that have been deemed political gerrymanders.
Voting Rights
On Wednesday the NC Supreme Court heard arguments in a voter ID case only three months after the case was decided by the previous NC Supreme Court. The previous court found a voter ID requirement passed by the state legislature in 2018 to be unconstitutional; however, as with the partisan gerrymandering case, the new Republican majority is likely to reverse the decision.
Education Policy
This week a bill that would restrict what schools can teach about race, gender, and sexuality passed the NC House Committee on K-12 Education. Republican legislators say HB 187 will prevent teaching of “racially divisive doctrines,” citing Critical Race Theory (CRT) as an example, though CRT is not taught in K-12 schools. The bill passed the committee in an amended “committee substitute” version after significant debate, with Democrats pointing out the chilling effect such a bill would have on classroom discussion of difficult topics.
On Thursday a bill to require college students to take a course on US history or government in order to graduate passed a NC House committee. HB 96 would require both 2-year and 4-year college students to pass a test covering important events and documents in US history, unless they had already passed an AP or IB test in high school covering the same material.
On Wednesday a bipartisan bill that would require career planning starting in 7th grade passed the NC Senate Education and Higher Education Committee. SB 193 would require 7th graders starting in the 2024-25 school year to make career plans that would be shared online for their parents to approve and would require students to review and revise their plans in their sophomore year of high school.
On Tuesday the NC Senate advanced six nominees to the UNC Board of Governors. Four are currently seated board members, while two are new nominees: Harry Brown and Haywood White III. Both are white, male Republicans and former members of the NC Senate. The lack of diversity among the group of nominees – all are men and all but one are white – prompted concerns from Democrats. Attendees at a recent public listening session of the Governor’s Commission on the Governance of Public Universities in North Carolina also raised concerns about the lack of diversity on the board.
Economic Policy
On Wednesday Governor Cooper released his new budget proposal. The proposal includes 18% raises for public school teachers over the next two years and an increase in unemployment benefits. His budget would also give an 8% raise over the next two years to other state employees, fully fund the Leandro settlement, and allocate $1 billion in new mental health care spending and $1.5 billion for early child care. Further, it would put a stop to planned corporate income tax cuts and personal income tax cuts for families making more than $200,000 per year. Republican leaders of the NC General Assembly indicated that they do not support Cooper’s proposals.
Environmental Policy
On Wednesday the NC House passed a bill that would prevent local governments from banning gas appliances. HB 130 is similar to a bill vetoed by Governor Cooper in 2021, but 10 Democrats joined a veto-proof majority in approving the bill. Natural gas appliances have negative impacts on both health and the environment.
Health Care Policy
On Tuesday the NC Senate approved Medicaid expansion in a 43-2 vote. The bill will go back to the NC House once more before it is delivered to Governor Cooper for his signature. The vote for Medicaid expansion is a significant victory; however, Republicans have conditioned the expansion of the program on approval of a state budget by the new fiscal year, which means they could force unwanted budget compromises on Governor Cooper.
Gun Violence Prevention
On Tuesday Governor Cooper signed an executive order establishing a new State Office of Violence Prevention. The office will coordinate state and local efforts to prevent violence and firearm misuse, offer training and technical assistance, and mount public awareness campaigns. In his announcement, Cooper noted that gunfire now causes more injury deaths of children in North Carolina than car accidents do.
Reproductive Rights
On March 10 a judge ruled that Republican leaders in the NC General Assembly can defend state restrictions on abortion pills in a case challenging those restrictions. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger requested to formally intervene in the case in January, after Attorney General Josh Stein said he would not defend the restrictions challenged in Dr. Amy Bryant’s suit. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge William Osteen granted their request to intervene, requiring them to file a written response to the lawsuit by March 24.
Criminal Justice
On Friday Governor Cooper announced that he won’t veto but also won’t sign two bills sent to him by the NC General Assembly, including a bill to “prevent rioting and civil disorder.” HB 40 imposes harsher penalties for rioters and is similar to a bill Cooper vetoed two years ago, and advocacy groups had urged him to again veto the bill to avoid chilling peaceful protest. However, seven Democrats, including six Democrats in the NC House, voted in favor of the rioting bill. The second bill, which limits rights for long-term hotel and inn residents, is also similar to proposed legislation previously vetoed by Cooper. However, the hotel bill was supported by 15 Democrats in the NC House. Both bills will become law without his signature.