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Governance
On Wednesday the NC House passed a Republican-sponsored bill that would prevent state employers from asking potential employees about their political beliefs. The bill, which passed 72-46, would also ban employee training programs from promoting several beliefs, including certain views about the U.S. government and the “rule of law,” the idea that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex” or the idea that someone should feel guilty about past actions of people of the same race or gender as them. In a departure from the Senate version of the bill, which was passed in May, these rules would apply to University of North Carolina schools and community colleges as well as state agencies and departments.
On Monday NC Rep. Erin Paré, Wake County’s only Republican state legislator, announced that she and the Wake County Board of Commissioners had reached a deal to change the way the Board is elected. HB 99 will now include the agreed-upon proposal, which would shift the seven current commissioner seats to district-based rather than at-large elections and add two new at-large seats. Paré previously had proposed making the district elections non-partisan, but that proposal did not make it into the final agreement. The bill is expected to pass the NCGA.
On Tuesday the NC House’s State Government Committee approved a Republican-sponsored bill that would shift appointments for nine state boards away from the governor to the NCGA. SB 512, which Governor Cooper called a “massive, unconstitutional power grab,” would alter the appointment power of the N.C. Utilities Commission, change the way the UNC Board of Governors is appointed, and appoint an entirely new Board of Transportation beginning July 1, among other changes. While the bill is expected to see court challenges, and legal precedent suggests that it is unconstitutional, the new NC Supreme Court has proven a willingness to overturn precedent in favor of Republicans. (For a discussion of what the bill’s change to the UNC Board of Governors could mean, see Joe Killian’s piece in NC Newsline.)
Voting Rights
A Republican-sponsored bill in the NC Senate that includes significant restrictions on mail-in voting and several other elections rules changes was publicly released on Thursday. SB 747 would stop mail-in ballots received after election night from being counted, require software-based signature verification for mail-in ballots, remove people from voter rolls who have previously said they can’t serve on a jury because they are not citizens, and prohibit the State Board of Elections from accepting private donations to help with elections administration. The bill would also change the rule for same-day registration during the early voting period, making those ballots provisional. Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who was involved in Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, has been meeting with NC Republican legislators to discuss changes to the state’s election laws. Governor Cooper has vetoed most of the bill’s provisions in previous bills, but he no longer has the votes in the NCGA to sustain a veto.
The NC State Board of Elections has asked colleges, local governments, and state agencies to provide copies of their student or employee IDs by June 28. With the state’s voter ID law going into effect for this year’s municipal elections cycle, the State Board of Elections is currently working to approve student and employee IDs as acceptable forms of voter ID.
Education Policy
On Thursday the NC Senate voted along party lines to approve a bill that would shrink the Nash County School Board and more quickly shift students living in the Edgecombe County section of Rocky Mount from the Nash County school system to the Edgecombe County school system. SB 248, which is opposed by the Nash County School Board, Rocky Mount City Council, and Democrats in the NC Senate, would change the Nash board from 11 seats to 7 and redraw the board’s election districts.
Economic Policy
On Thursday the NC Senate approved a bill legalizing mobile sports betting. HB 347 would allow betting on college and professional sports and horse racing, authorizing the Lottery Commission to issue up to 12 licenses for operators, who would be taxed 18% of their revenues. Funds from this taxation would go toward college and university athletics programs. The bill passed 37-11 with bipartisan support and opposition.
Health Care Policy
On Thursday the NC Senate gave final approval to a bill that would allow Blue Cross Blue Shield NC to restructure. HB 346, which would allow BCBS NC to shift assets into a holding company, passed in a 41-5 vote and now goes to Governor Cooper.
On Tuesday a committee in the NC House unanimously approved a bill that would allocate $1 billion to mental health care in North Carolina. HB 855 would split this funding across many different programs, including behavioral health programs in public schools, an expansion of a suicide hotline, substance abuse programs, hospitals and doctors’ offices in rural areas, and programs to address homelessness.
Criminal Justice
On Wednesday the NC House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill that would make several changes to the state’s juvenile justice system. HB 834 would facilitate faster transfer of minors to the adult justice system if they are charged with serious felonies, allows a minor’s photograph and name to be released if they are judged to be “a danger,” and requires services for children with mental health problems who are charged with crimes, among other changes. The bill is opposed by children’s rights and disability rights activists.
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