Weekly Recap: Catch up on the news you missed from 3/19-3/25
NC State Treasurer Dale Folwell is running for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson set a date for entering the race, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a gun package and lawmakers passed Medicaid expansion.
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Here’s a look back at the week that was:
Folwell, Robinson make 2024 gubernatorial moves
On Saturday, North Carolina Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell kicked off his bid for governor, announcing the news at the Forsyth County GOP convention. He is poised for a primary matchup against Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who said on Thursday that he’d make a campaign announcement on April 22 near Burlington.
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker is also considering entering the race.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is seen as likely to advance to the general election.
🗳️GOP renews effort to limit absentee ballot collection period
This past week, Republicans set a hearing date for a bill that would limit the time in which county boards of election could accept mail-in ballots.
House Bill 304, or the “Election Day Integrity Act,” is nearly identical to a measure Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed in 2021. The bill would make require absentee ballots to arrive by the time polls close on Election Day, as opposed to the current law of arriving by 5 p.m. on the third day after the election.
The first hearing on the bill is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.
🏥Medicaid expansion bill heads to Cooper
On Thursday, North Carolina lawmakers sent Cooper a bill that stands to expand Medicaid to 600,000 residents. But expansion is also contingent on the enactment of a new state budget and the federal government at least 90% of the cost of Medicaid recipients.
Medicaid expansion has long been the top policy goal of Cooper. While he supports the bill heading his way, he has called on lawmakers to pass a clean Medicaid expansion bill without the budget caveat. Nevertheless, he said on Thursday that he’d sign the bill into law.
North Carolina is poised to be the 40th state in the country to expand Medicaid. Under House Bill 76, a handful of certificate of need laws are to be repealed to accommodate an anticipated increase in workload on health care systems, especially in larger counties.
🔫Cooper vetoes bill loosening gun laws
On Friday, Cooper vetoed a gun package that would allow for concealed handguns at places of worship located on school property and repeal the state law that requires prospective owners to receive a permit from their local sheriff before being able to obtain the firearm.
In his veto message, the governor expressed concern that the measure would increase the risk of people dying from guns.
"Eliminating strong background checks will allow more domestic abusers and other dangerous people to own handguns and reduces law enforcement's ability to stop them from committing violent crimes,” Cooper wrote. “Second Amendment supporting, responsible gun owners know this will put families and communities at risk.”
Senate Bill 41 will now return to the Senate, where Republicans have the three-fifths majority needed to override Cooper. The GOP is one seat shy of a House supermajority, meaning they’ll need one Democrat to cross party lines or two Democrats to be absent when a vote is called.
Democratic Reps. Shelly Willingham of Edgecombe County and Michael Wray of Northampton County are seen as the likeliest to override Cooper. If they override Cooper, it would be the first time the governor’s veto hasn’t been sustained since Democrats broke GOP supermajorities in the 2018 election.
📖House approves bills limiting K-12 racial teachings, mandating college history course
North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House on Wednesday passed two bills that would address how racism is taught in K-12 public schools, community colleges and public colleges and universities.
Under House Bill 96, students seeking to get an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree must complete a 3-credit history course with a requirement for students to read in their entirety the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from Birmingham Jail and at least five essays from the Federalist Papers.
Under House Bill 187, K-12 public school teachers teachers would be prohibited from compelling students to personally adopt any of 13 concepts. School districts seeking to provide instruction, training or hire speakers addressing the 13 concepts would also need to provide 30 days of advance notice to the public and state education officials before any of those activities take place. Cooper vetoed a nearly identical bill in 2021.
HB 96 passed with support from two Democrats — Reps. Willingham and Joe John of Wake County. HB 187 passed along party lines.
⚖️US Supreme Court weighing impact of NC Supreme Court redistricting rehearing
When the North Carolina Supreme Court agreed to rehear a redistricting case, the U.S. Supreme Court asked parties to weigh in on an ongoing federal-level dispute over whether state legislatures ought to have sole mapmaking powers.
On Monday, Republican lawmakers and voting access groups encouraged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the case, saying that the ongoing N.C. Supreme Court case has no bearing on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ability to issue a decision on the extent to which state courts can intervene in the redistricting process.
Meanwhile, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein advised the nation’s high court against issuing a decision because of the ongoing N.C. Supreme Court case.
What to watch this week
TBA: Cooper signing Medicaid expansion bill
TUESDAY: At 9 a.m., lawmakers will hold their first hearing on a bill to limit absentee ballot collection period.
TUESDAY: President Joe Biden will travel to Durham to kick off a three-week administration-wide "Investing in America" tour. Biden will visit Wolfspeed, a Durham-based semiconductor company that recently announced plans to spend $5 billion for a new plant in Chatham County and create at least 1,800 jobs.
WEDNESDAY: House Speaker Tim Moore plans to share chamber’s budget proposal.
FRIDAY: A bill that would put three schools for deaf and blind students under the purview of five-member boards of trustees largely chosen by Republican lawmakers could be vetoed by Cooper. But House Bill 11 also has support from enough Democrats who could override the governor, which could prompt Cooper to let it become law without his signature. Cooper typically weighs in on controversial bills on Friday afternoons.
🐦Tweet of the Week
While I may not agree with all sentiments of this one, I certainly feel the disappointment and humiliation of picking Gonzaga over UCONN in the men’s basketball tournament.
📖5 essential reads
NC Auditor Beth Wood pleads guilty to hit-and-run charge (Lucille Sherman // Axios)
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson makes anti-LGBTQ comments during sermon at Mooresville church (Joe Bruno // WSOC-TV)
The Uncomfortable Truth About Why Buying Furniture Is So Miserable (Matt Hartman // The Assembly)
How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them ( Patrick Rucker, Maya Miller and David Armstrong // ProPublica)
Intense lobbying, broad support, no votes: NC nursing bill in limbo (Travis Fain // WRAL)
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