Approaching the most vetoed session in NC history
On Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill, bringing his total this legislative session to 27. North Carolina is on track for the most vetoes of any legislative session.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday acted on the final 14 bills lawmakers sent him before their summer recess, signing into law 12 bills, vetoing one and allowing one to become law without his signature.
With his bill rejection on Monday, the two-year legislative session has become the second most-vetoed session in North Carolina history with 27 rejected measures. (NC was the last state in the nation to give the governor the power to veto bills starting in 1997).
In 2017-2018, when Republicans previously had a supermajority, Cooper vetoed 28 bills. That figure is all but assured to be eclipsed in the coming months, particularly if the GOP loses its supermajority in November and seeks to enact a number of policy objectives before the session ends in December.
North Carolina lawmakers won’t hold votes this week. They’ll instead reconvene from July 29 to Aug. 1, though votes aren’t a guarantee at that time.
It’s also worth noting that the Republican-supermajority in the House and Senate had overridden every veto Cooper had sent them heading into summer recess.
When lawmakers return in late July, they’ll have five total veto overrides for consideration, including the one Cooper made on Monday and four the governor issued last week.
Here’s what Cooper vetoed on Monday:
Senate Bill 445: This bill unanimously passed out of both chambers. Cooper vetoed it out of concern it could “create legal ambiguity regarding when eviction orders become effective and may harm low-income individuals by making it harder for them to appeal as an indigent in small claims court.”
Here are the notable bills he signed into law:
House Bill 98: Allows eligible patients with life-threatening or severely debilitating illnesses the right to try individualized investigational drugs, biological products and devices.
Senate Bill 332: Ensures teachers get the raises approved in last year’s budget. In a statement, Cooper called for greater pay raises, writing that “the legislature should pay our teachers significantly more.”
Senate Bill 357: Provides $67.5 million to help keep childcare centers afloat over the next six months. Cooper called for lawmakers to go further, saying in statement that “legislators need to do much more for parents, businesses and children by extending these grants through 2025, investing in our nationally recognized NC Pre-K and investing more in quality early childhood education.”
Senate Bill 527: An annual alcohol regulatory bill that will allow community colleges to sell alcohol at sporting events, permit the return of to-go alcohol sales, which had been allowed during the pandemic, and allow ABC stores to open on New Year's Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.
Here’s the one bill he allowed to become law without his signature:
Senate Bill 607: A comprehensive 40-page regulatory reform bill. Cooper declined to sign the bill due to “a provision where the General Assembly is seeking to interfere with the charter and bylaws of the North Carolina Railroad, a private corporation.”