Global Courant 2023-05-05 18:33:23
North Carolina lawmakers passed dozens of bills this week in a legislative marathon as state Republicans continued to ride a wave of momentum in the wake of a high-profile defection from a Democratic legislature.
The Senate passed legislation on Thursday that would ban most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormalities or danger to the mother’s life. North Carolina law currently allows abortion up to 20 weeks.
The vote came about 24 hours after the state House along with dozens of others passed the abortion bill in a marathon voting session that stretched late Wednesday night. Lawmakers passed 56 bills to meet a deadline after which legislation that does not entail appropriations or revenue or is not part of a legislative study will not be eligible to pass by the other chamber for the remainder of the legislature. 2023-24. The Senate, for its part, dealt with another dozen bills.
The abortion measure, which includes increased payments for foster homes and increased funding for childcare centers that help low-income families, now heads to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, which promised in a statement Thursday to veto it.
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, speaks to reporters at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, NC on February 24, 2023 (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)
NORTH CAROLINA GOP GOES ON ATTACK AND CARRIES AMBITIOUS AGENDA WITH NEW SUPER MAJORITY IN STATE HOUSE
“Don’t let this so-called 12-week abortion ban fool you,” Cooper said. “It will sooner and sometimes completely ban access to reproductive freedom for many women because of new restrictions and requirements. That is why Republicans are rambling it through with no chance of change. I will veto this extreme ban and need everyone’s help to hold it.” .”
Cooper later tweeted a video of him similarly slamming the bill and threatening to veto it.
However, Republicans now have a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers of the legislature thanks to State Representative Tricia Cotham, who announced last month that she was joining the Republican Party after serving her deep blue Charlotte-area district as a Democrat. While North Carolina Republicans already had a strong majority, Cotham’s decision gave Republicans a supermajority in the House in what observers described as a “political earthquake.”
The threat of a veto from Cooper, who has vetoed more than 75 measures since taking office in 2017, had prevented Republicans from carrying out much of their agenda. But now the GOP has a clearer path to push through a wide variety of legislation, including on abortion.
Cotham’s vote could be critical in potentially overturning Cooper’s anticipated veto. While the newly minted Republican previously pledged to codify Roe v. Wade in her state and has taken more liberal stances on other social issues, she voted to ban abortion this week.
The Senate also has a GOP supermajority.
In addition to abortion, Cotham has been at the forefront of pushing Republican-backed measures to expand school choice and other conservative education reforms.
North Carolina State Representative Tricia Cotham announces she is leaving the Democratic Party to become a Republican at North Carolina GOP Headquarters in Raleigh, April 5, 2023. (Screenshot/WBTV)
NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKER LEAVES OFFICIAL DEMS FOR GOP, SAYS TURNING POINT WAS AMERICAN FLAG CRITICAL
One such bill passed by the House this week aims to provide equal funding for charter school students and those who attend traditional public schools. It would change the current factors that determine per-student funding that public school districts must share with local charter schools, with proponents arguing that money should follow the student if their family chooses to attend a charter school.
Another bill currently under consideration in both chambers that has full GOP support in the House would include the state’s school voucher program and existing Opportunity Scholarships — which are designed to enable low- and middle-income families to attend private school. of their choice – expand to all students to go to private schools or cover education costs through a tiered income-based system.
“This is about putting kids first, about empowering families, and about changing education in North Carolina to benefit everyone in the state,” Cotham said this week. “Ultimately, it’s about putting kids first — not adults, not systems, not bureaucrats, but kids.”
As chairman of the Education K-12 House Standing Committee, Cotham is in a prime position to influence education reform bills coming out of the House.
North Carolina State Representative Jason Saine is the leader of the House GOP caucus. (Photo provided by Rep. Jason Saine)
NORTH CAROLINA GOP FURTHER SCHOOL CHOICE WITH NEW SUPER MAJORITY AFTER DEM’S SPLASHING PARTY SWITCH
The House also this week approved a measure to create a Charter School Review Board to take over the state Board of Education’s approvals, while the Senate passed measures to restructure oversight of high school sports and largely to transfer oversight power to the state community college system from governor’s appointments to legislative appointments.
Separately, both the House and Senate passed bills to prohibit environmental, social, and governance factors in state hiring, contracts, and retirement decisions. So-called ESG factors are increasingly being used to measure an institution’s progress in areas such as policies designed to address climate change, increase demographic diversity, and support a progressive “social justice” agenda.
The House has also introduced a bill to ban underage gender transition procedures after recently passing legislation that would ban biological males who identify as female from playing on girls’ sports teams in high school, high school and college.
The North Carolina State Legislature Building is on display in Raleigh, NC (Al Drago/CQ appeal)
NORTH CAROLINA BECOME LAST STATE TO JOIN BILL TO BAN TRANS ATHLETES FROM GIRLS’ SPORTS TEAMS
This week’s surge in votes came after North Carolina’s new GOP-controlled Supreme Court on Friday upheld a photo voter identification law and overturned an earlier ruling against gerrymandered voting cards — a move that could have profound political implications for the state of Tar Heel.
“I believe the legislature will revisit and redraw the congressional and legislative maps, as has been speculated,” Chris Sinclair, a North Carolina political strategist, recently told Fox News Digital. “They don’t need the governor for this, but think they’ll draw a district for Cotham that’s more competitive for an R than her current district, and she’ll support these new maps.”
However, he added that the GOP’s newfound supermajority could prove problematic if they fail to deliver for North Carolinians.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“What (Republicans) do with their new member and how far they go on issues will be critical – and they need to be aware of how far they go and will want to talk to their colleagues in Wisconsin and Kansas about how well they switch on important points.” issues, especially on abortion,” Sinclair said. “If they go too far, their new power after 2024 may be short-lived, even with new maps.”
Aaron Kliegman is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
