Perhaps you’re wondering why our 2021 Legislative Issue hits the streets in January 2022. It’s a valid question, but it’s one that should be directed at our own state legislature, which dragged out this session until Dec. 30, when it officially closed. For context, we used to run the Legislative Issue in June. For even more context, the legislature is already back in session as of this week.

As always, we’ve highlighted the work of all our Guilford and Forsyth delegations to the state House and Senate, tallying their contributions — or lack thereof — and noting their successes. Triad reps authored hundreds of bills this session, often reaching across the political aisle to find common ground. And very, very few of them were passed into law. 

SENATE

FORSYTH 

Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R) District 31

  • Terms: 4 (+1 in House)
  • About the district: The district contains Forsyth’s rural tracts outside Winston-Salem and the entirety of Davie County.
  • Committee chairs: Appropriations on Health and Human Services (chair), Health Care (chair), Pensions and Retirement and Aging (chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 67 (11 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • SB 143 – Juneteenth Observance Day in NC (with Lowe): This bill would have officially recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday in North Carolina.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 191 – No Patient Left Alone Act: This bill makes clear that patient visitation rights in health care facilities won’t be impacted during declared disasters or emergencies. The bill reflects on the unintended consequences of COVID-19, during which many people have been turned away from seeing hospitalized family members.
    • Status: Signed into law on Oct. 15, 2021.
  • SB 249 – The SAVE Act: This bill would have clarified nursing regulations and eased requirements that make it costly or cumbersome for nurse practitioners to treat their patients. The bill would also remove supervision requirements for advanced practice registered nurses to grant them to full practice authority.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 377 – Remove Foreign Citizens from Voting Rolls: This bill would have allowed the courts to notify the State Board of Elections of any noncitizens to remove their names from its list of registered voters. The names would be derived from those who request to be excused from jury duty because they are not citizens.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 404 – A Second Chance for LIFE: Bill would have required physicians to tell patients about the possibility of reversing the effects of drug-induced abortions after the first dose.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 405 – Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act: This bill, which Kraweic has  introduced during the legislative session for the past several years, would charge doctors who fail to provide care for an infant born after a failed abortion.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 505 – Medical Billing Transparency: Would have required healthcare facilities to give patients at least 72 hours advance notice if they have scheduled appointments in which they would receive care from an out-of-network provider.
    • Status: Died in the House.
  • SB 530 –  Medicaid for Twelve Months Postpartum: Would have provided pregnant women coverage under the NC Medicaid program for 12 months of postpartum treatment. The bill would also have waived tuition and registration fees at community colleges for the same individuals.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 700 – Balanced Political Discussion in Classrooms: Would have required balanced political viewpoints in classroom instruction and would have required the online publication of information about instructional materials.
    • Status: Died in committee.

Sen. Paul Lowe (D) District 32

  • Terms: 3
  • About the district: District 32 contains most of the city of Winston-Salem and outlying areas to the north and south.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 27 (1 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • SB 109 – Law Enforcement Recordings/Winston-Salem: Would have amended the public records law in Winston-Salem to release law enforcement recordings to a citizens review board, to the city or county manager or to the city council.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 145 – Winston-Salem/Real Property Conveyances (with Krawiec): This bill allows the city of Winston-Salem to transfer city-owned real property to increase the supply of affordable housing.
    • Status: Signed into law on June 17, 2021.
  • SB 324 – Student-Athlete Compensation/Study: This bill would have allowed student athletes to receive compensation for their name, image or likeness in relation to an athletic program. The bill would also have established a study committee on student-athlete compensation.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 639 – Commuter Rail Study/Piedmont Triad: This bill would have funded a Department of Transportation study to project the cost and feasibility of a commuter rail service linking Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 694 – Black Farmer Restoration Program: This bill would have established a program to purchase farmland and grant it to Black farmers. It also would have established a training program for Black farmers.
    • Status: Died in committee.

GUILFORD

Sen. Amy Galey (R) District 24

  • Terms: 1
  • About the district: District 24, covers all of Alamance County and the rural eastern strip of Guilford.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 33 (7 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • SB 208 – Labor Law Changes: This bill made changes to the state’s Wage and Hour Act including requiring employers to notify employees of promised wages in writing at the time of hiring. Employers must also now provide written notice to employees at least one pay period prior to any reduction in wages.
    • Status: Signed into law on July 8, 2021.
  • SB 335 – Increase Penalty/Disruption of Open Meeting: Bill would have made it a Class 1 misdemeanor for anyone to disturb the peace of an official meeting of a public body. The second offense would have been a Class I felony while a third would have been a Class H felony.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 671 – Changes to K-12 Scholarship Programs: The bill would have changed the state scholarship program to allow private school students to receive state funding for scholarships.
    • Status: Died in the House.

Sen. David Craven Jr. (R) District 26

  • Terms: 1+ 
  • About the district: District 26 covers all of Randolph County plus most of High Point in Guilford County’s southwest corner.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 19 (3 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • SB 29 – Ricky’s Law/Political Sign Placement: This bill shortens the time allowed to place political signs in right-of-ways from 30 days before one-stop early voting to 10 days before and after.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 238 – Life and Property Protection Act: This bill holds local governmental entities liable if they intentionally prohibit, prevent or delay law enforcement or fire and rescue services from accessing areas during public demonstrations.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 390 – UNC Law Enforcement Recruitment: Allows full-time and part-time UNC campus law enforcement officers to enroll in college courses without paying tuition or fees.
    • Status: Signed into law on May 7, 2021.
  • SB 492 – Establish NC Textile Museum: This bill would have allowed for the creation of a state textile museum through a partnership with the Randolph Heritage Conservancy, Inc. 
    • Status: Died in committee.

Sen. Michael Garrett (D) District 27

  • Terms: 2
  • About the district: District 27 includes all of rural Guilford County with the northern tier and west side of High Point, and a sliver of Greensboro west of Guilford College Road.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 39 (0 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • SB 216 – Release of LEO Recordings/Greensboro (with Robinson): This bill would have allowed the release of police body-worn camera recordings to a citizens review board or to city council in closed session upon the recommendation of the city manager and a majority vote of the council.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 281 – Fair Treatment of Journalism/Guilford County (with Robinson): Essentially a copy-and-pasted bill from the 2019 session, this bill would make it so that certain governmental meetings and legal actions must be advertised in local newspapers rather than just on government-run websites.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 369 – Make Election Day a State Holiday: Pretty straightforward, this bill would have made general election day an official state holiday, paid for state employees.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 412 – $15/Hour Min. Pay for Noncert. Schl. Employees: This bill would have required the hourly rate for noncertified public school employees to be at least $15 per hour.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 565 – Supporting Law Enforcement: This bill would have directed the Department of Justice to assist local agencies in applying for grants, allocating $250,000 each year for grants to law enforcement agencies for community policing. Despite its somewhat misleading name, this bill would also have created a statewide database for decertified law enforcement officers, changed the definition of deadly force to include chokeholds and required officers to intervene when other officers violate policies.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 637 – Guilford County Mental Health Facility/Funds (with Robinson): This bill would have granted Guilford County more than $3.8 million from the state to construct a mental health crisis center for adults.
    • Status: Died in committee.

Sen. Gladys Robinson (D) District 28

  • Terms: 6
  • About the district: District 28 is now most of the city of Greensboro, with a bit in the east ceded to District 24.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 24 (1 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • SB 212 – Bennett College Accredit./Private Need-Based (with Garrett): Changed the requirements to allow for Bennett College students to receive need-based scholarships.
    • Status: Signed into law on April 27, 2021.
  • SB 286 – Greensboro/Local Speed Limit (with Garrett): Would have reduced the speed limit on residential streets in Greensboro to no more than 25 miles per hour.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 359 – K-3 Reading and Literacy Improvement Act: This bill would have worked to improve literacy for children by ensuring that every kindergarten through second grade classroom had a full-time teacher assistant and every three third-grade classrooms had a full-time teacher assistant.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • SB 485 – Fund Drug Treatment/Mental Health Courts: Bill would have allocated $4.2 million to support local drug treatment court programs.
    • Status: Died in committee.

HOUSE

FORSYTH

Rep. Amber Baker (D) District 72

  • Terms: 1
  • About the district: The district starts at Oak Summit Road, stretches from North Winston to Harmony Grove and extends all the way down to Ardmore.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 21 (0 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 131 – Stevens Center Funds/UNC School of the Arts: (with Lambeth, Terry, Zenger, Zachary): An act that would delegate funds to repair and renovate The Stevens Center at the UNC School of the Arts.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 170 – North Carolina CROWN Act(with Terry): The act would prevent discrimination against hairstyles historically associated with race.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 534 – Funds/Est. Black Women and Girls Task Force: The act would establish the North Carolina Black Girls and Women Task Force and allocate appropriate funds. The task force would consist of 13 members, including grassroots leaders, senate members and House representatives.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 837 – Increase Student Access to School Counselors: An act that requires at least one full-time, permanent school counselor for every 300 high school students.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 953 – Funds for Sch. Mental Health Support Persons: Act to fund additional school counselors, social workers and psychologists or increase compensation for school counselors who are licensed clinical mental health counselors.
    • Status: Died in committee.

Rep. Donny Lambeth (R) District 75

  • Terms: 5
  • About the district: The district starts at Walnut Cove Road and Belews Creek near and extends down to Walburg.
  • Committee chairs: Appropriations (senior chair), Appropriations, Health and Human Services (vice chair), Health (chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 73 (7 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 32 – Equity in Opportunity Act (with Zenger): This act would create an opportunity scholarship grant program, personal education student accounts for students with disabilities and authorize counties to use local funds for K-12 scholarships.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 61 – Local Communicable Disease Programs/Funds (with Zachary): The act would appropriate funds to expand local infrastructure around the control and prevention of communicable diseases.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 91 – Accountability and Fair Play in Athletics: The bill will ensure oversight of high school sports and determine who is eligible to play based on school rules, health and safety requirements, fees and more.
    • Status: Signed in law on Nov. 23, 2021.
  • HB 127 – WF Baptist Health Regional Autopsy Ctr Funds (with Terry, Zenger, Zachary): The act would allocate funds for a new autopsy center at Wake Forest Baptist Health.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 289 – DIT/Broadband Mapping: (with Terry) The act would grant funds to the department of information and technology to prepare for statewide broadband maps.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.

Rep. Evelyn Terry (D) District 71

  • Terms: 5
  • About the district: The district starts in Walkertown and stretches diagonally across the south east part of Winston-Salem to Highway 150.
  • Committee chairs: Education – universities (vice chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 6 (0 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 8 – NC Adopt ERA (with Baker): The act would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and allocate funds to educate the public about the act.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 243 – UNC Legislative Priorities/COVID-19 Impacts (with Lambeth, Zenger): An act that would address budget needs at UNC.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 873 – Repeal 2015 Law Relating to Monuments (with Baker): The act would repeal the 2015 law that was unanimously passed by both Republicans and Democrats protecting monuments across the state. The law as it currently stands prevents the removal of most monuments that are on public property.
    • Status: Died in committee.

Rep. Lee Zachary (R) District 73

Rep. Jeff Zenger (R) District 74

  • Terms: 1
  • About the district: The district is on the west side of Forsyth County and covers Lewisville and Clemons.
  • Committee chairs: Finance (vice chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 21 (4 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 82 – Summer Learning Choice for NC Families (with Zachary): The act would establish learning recovery and enrichment programs in local school administrative units.
    • Status: Signed into law on April 9, 2021
  • HB 211 – Reopen Bars and Restaurants: This bill would have allowed restaurants and bars to reopen at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Status: Died in the senate.
  • HB 245 – Efficient Government Buildings & Savings Act: The act would have required public buildings to reduce their energy and water use by 40 percent by 2028.
    • Status: Died in the senate.
  • HB 279 – DMV Deployed Armed Forces Exemptions: This bill would allow deployed soldiers to get full provisional driver’s licenses remotely.
    • Status: Signed into law on April 27, 2021
  • HB 782 – Elections Certainty Act: The act would clarify the date and time that mail in absentee ballot must be returned during an election, 5 p.m. on the day of the election. Any mail returned later than this would not be counted.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 861 – Back to Work Integrity Act (with Zachary): The act would create specific guidelines around how employers can report employment offers. It would have created a database to track when potential employees turned down jobs in order to keep them from obtaining unemployment.
    • Status: Died in committee.

GUILFORD

Rep. Ashton Clemmons (D) District 57

  • Terms: 2
  • About the district: The district starts in east Greensboro near East Market Street and stretches north and northwest, picking up much of the northern parts of the city before ending at the edges of Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 33 (3 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 41 – Amend Lawful Age to Marry/18 Years of Age: Would have changed the lawful age to marry from 16 to 18 years old.
    • Status: Died in committee
  • HB 215 – Early Childhood Data Analytics/Pilot/Guilford (with Hardister, Harrison, Faircloth, Brockman, and Quick): Would have provided funding to Guilford County to support a data analytics system for early childhood development programs. Would also have established a high-quality early childhood care and education pilot program in the county.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 364 – Funds for the Expansion of NC Pre-K (with Brockman, Harrison, Quick): Bill would have provided $12.5 million in recurring funds for 2021-23 to provide funds for children to participate in the North Carolina pre-K program.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 542 – Fix Our Democracy (with Brockman, Harrison, Quick): Bill would have established an independent redistricting process, reenacted legislation to establish a nonpartisan method of electing supreme court justices and court of appeals judges, allowed for online voter registration and automatic voter registration, made campaign finance sources more transparent, limited super PAC influence, and more.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 698 – Release Body-Worn/Dashboard Camera Video (with Quick, Brockman, Harrison): would have required the release of requested body-worn and dashboard camera recordings after 48 hours have passed from the time of the recording.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 608 – Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated (with Brockman, Faircloth, Hardister, Harrison, Quick): This bill limits the use of restraints on pregnant women, body cavity searches of women who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery and the placement of pregnant or recovering women in restrictive housing, amongst other changes. 
    • Status: Signed into law on Sept. 10, 2021.

House Minority Whip Amos L. Quick III (D) District 58

  • Terms: 3
  • About the district: This southwestern district reaches towards Jamestown near Grandover Resort and then creeps up towards the UNCG area and Hamilton Lakes.
  • Committee chairs: None
  • Primary sponsored bills: 18 (0 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 214 – Grant Prog. To Reduce CV19 Vaccine Hesitancy (with Brockman, Clemmons, Harrison): This bill would have established a COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Elimination Program as a competitive grant program. The program would have given funds to approved minority businesses to conduct or host public communications, initiatives or events.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 446 – Safeguarding Voting Rights (with Brockman, Clemmons, Harrison): Would have allowed for automatic voter registration at various agencies throughout the state. The bill would also have allowed for people to register to vote online, amongst other things.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 532 – Criminal Justice Equity Act of 2021 (with Brockman, Harrison): This bill would have expanded the criminal justice fellows program to all counties in the state. The bill would also have modified various law enforcement standards such as requiring regular use-of-force data reporting to the State Bureau of Investigation.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 719 – Repeal Death Penalty (with Brockman, Harrison): The bill would repeat the death penalty and change all of the current prisoners who have been sentenced to death to life imprisonment.
    • Status: Died in committee.

House Majority Whip Jon Hardister (R) District 59

  • Terms: 5
  • About the district: Hardister’s district, which is shaped like a backwards “C,” covers almost half of the county including much of the rural eastern parts. It then curves westward towards Summerfield in the north and Jamestown in the south.
  • Committee chairs: Alcoholic Beverage Control (vice-chair); Appropriations (vice-chair); Appropriations, Education (chair); Education – Universities (chair); House Select Committee on Strategic Transportation Planning and Long-Term Funding Solutions (vice-chair); UNC Board of Governors Nominations (vice-chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 71 (7 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 133 – Create NC Golf Council (with Clemmons): Would create a statewide seven-member golf council to promote the sport in the state. The council would foster economic development, tourism, recreation and community involvement for golf.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 232 – LRC Study-Affordable Housing (with Brockman, Harrison, Quick): Would have directed the Legislative Research Commission to study affordable housing in the state by examining the current availability of affordable housing options, identifying subsidies and grants, examining challenges facing those in need of affordable housing and looking at best practices in other states, to name a few.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 307 – NC Time Zone/Observe DST All Year: In the event that Daylight Savings Year-Round was authorized by Congress, this bill would have allowed for North Carolina to adopt it year-round as well.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 631 – Sports Wagering (with Brockman): Would have authorized and regulated sports wagering in North Carolina.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 692 – Restrict Certain Vehicle Modifications: This bill made it illegal to drive cars with altered suspensions, frames or chassis that make it so that the front fender is four or more inches greater than the height of the rear fender.
    • Status: Signed into law on Aug. 30, 2021.
  • HB 707 – Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights (with Brockman, Harrison): Would have required the state Commissioner of Banks to license and regulate student loan servicers to crack down on deceptive or abusive practices by the companies.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 923 – Social Emotional Learning Pilot (with Brockman, Harrison, Quick): Bill would have implemented social and emotional learning curriculums in kindergarten classrooms. The bill noted that “SEL can have a long-term positive impact through adulthood, including decreasing the likelihood of being on a waiting list for or living in public housing, receiving public assistance, being involved with police before adulthood and spending time in a detention facility.”
    • Status: Died in committee.

Rep. Cecil Brockman (D) District 60

  • Terms: 4
  • About the district: Brockman’s district runs vertically along the western part of the county, starting near West Market Street near the airport, and moves south towards High Point, catching a bit of Jamestown on the way.
  • Committee chairs: Education K-12 (vice-chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 18 (0 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 540 – Study Workforce Development for Refugees (with Quick, Hardister, Harrison, Clemmons): Would have looked at the skills and education that refugees bring with them as well as investigated the challenges refugees face in finding employment or being recognized for their former work credentials. After the study, the commission would have used the information to tap into the pool of skilled individuals to fill gaps in the labor force.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 550 – Free Breakfast and Lunch in Public School Units (with Quick, Harrison): Would create a state school breakfast and lunch fund to allow all public schools to provide free breakfast and lunches to students who need them.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 760 – Opportunity Gap Task Force (with Harrison): Bill to establish an opportunity gap task force consisting of 14 members. The task force would have studied the opportunity gap, considered best practices to close the gap in grades K-12 and proposed a plan to reduce the gap by July 1, 2030.
    • Status: Died in the Senate.
  • HB 908 – Access to Affordable Health Coverage for All (with Harrison, Quick): Bill would have helped eligible individuals who fall into the coverage gap to afford health insurance by providing a refundable premium tax credit.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 948 – Add Segregation Score to School Report Cards: As part of school scores and report cards, bill would have required the incorporation of a racial and ethnic proportionality score under the basis that the “segregation of children…solely on the basis of race deprives children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities.”
    • Status: Died in committee.

Rep. Pricey Harrison (D) District 61

  • Terms: 9
  • About the district: Harrison’s district covers a swath of Greensboro from Franklin Boulevard on the eastern side through downtown towards Guilford College to the west.
  • Committee chairs: Environment (vice-chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 53 (1 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 288 – Bennett College Acreddit./Private Need-Based (with Hardister, Quick, Clemmons, Brockman): Would have changed the requirements to allow for Bennett College students to receive need-based scholarships.
    • Status: Died in committee. However, the Senate version of this bill (SB 212) was signed into law.
  • HB 354 – Hate Crimes Prevention Act (with Brockman, Quick): Would increase the scope and punishment of hate crimes and required the State Bureau of Investigation to create and maintain a hate crimes statistics database. It would also have required law enforcement officers and district attorneys to be trained on how to identify and prosecute hate crimes.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 444 – PFAS Mitigation Measures Cost Reimbursement (with Quick): Would hold those who discharged PFAS contaminants into private or public drinking water supplies to be held accountable by being forced to pay to remove or correct the adverse effects.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 452 – Mental Health Protection Act (with Brockman, Clemmons): This bill would protect minors and adults with disabilities from attempts by others to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, thus outlawing what is known as “conversion therapy.” The bill would also have prohibited state funds from being used to conduct conversion therapy.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 612 – Up Minimum Wages/No Subminimum or Exemptions (with Brockman, Clemmons): Bill would have increased the regular minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023 and would have phased out the tipped employee minimum wage through 2025.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 617 – Cannabis Legalization and Regulation (with Brockman): Would have legalized the sale, possession and use of cannabis in North Carolina. Use would have been legal for persons 21 years of age or older.
    • Status: Died in committee.

Rep. John Faircloth (R) District 62

  • About the district: Faircloth’s district covers the northwestern and westernmost portion of the county, starting in Stokesdale, descending all the way to High Point.
  • Committee chairs: Appropriations, Justice and Public Safety (vice-chair)
  • Primary sponsored bills: 39 (4 signed into law)
  • Highlights:
  • HB 418 – Threaten LEO or Correctional Officer: This bill would have made it a Class I felony to threaten a law enforcement officer or detention facility employee with bodily harm or death.
    • Status: Died in the Senate. 
  • HB 761 – Police Vehicle and Equipment Protection Act: This bill increased the penalty for breaking and entering into certain law enforcement vehicles and for stealing certain equipment.
    • Status: Signed into law on Oct. 15, 2021.
  • HB 755 – Fund Law Enforcement/Detention/Corrections: This bill would have set aside extra funds for the State Highway patrol, county law enforcement agencies and municipal law enforcement agencies including signing bonuses for some newly-hired officers.
    • Status: Died in committee.
  • HB 858 – Permit Cannabis Medical Research Studies (with Brockman, Harrison): This bill would have allowed for the use of cannabis for medical purposes and to research the effects of the drug as treatment for various medical conditions.
    • Status: Died in committee.

NOTABLE VETOES BY GOV. COOPER

This legislative session, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a total of 16 bills. Here are just a few of the notable ones.

SB 37 – In-Person Learning Choice for Families

  • Local sponsors: Galey, Krawiec
  • Veto date: Feb. 26, 2021
  • Status: Died in Senate committee
  • What: This bill would have required local school boards to provide an in-person instruction option during the 2021 school year.
  • Cooper’s statement: “As written, the bill threatens public health just as North Carolina strives to emerge from the pandemic.”

SB 43 – Protect Religious Meeting Places

  • Local sponsors: Craven
  • Veto date: June 18, 2021
  • Status: Died in Senate committee
  • What: The bill would have allowed people with concealed carry permits to carry guns on properties that serve as both churches and private schools.
  • Cooper’s statement: “For the safety of students and teachers, North Carolina should keep guns off school grounds.”

HB 453 – Human Life Nondiscrimination Act/No Eugenics

  • Local sponsors: Faircloth, Zachary
  • Veto date: June 25, 2021
  • Status: Died in House committee
  • What: Would have made abortions based on presumed race, sex or presence of Down syndrome illegal.
  • Cooper’s statement: “This bill gives the government control over what happens and what is said in the exam room between a woman and her doctor at a time she faces one of the most difficult decisions of her life. This bill is unconstitutional and it damages the doctor-patient relationship with an unprecedented government intrusion.”

HB 398 – Pistol Purchase Permit Repeal

  • Local sponsors: Faircloth
  • Veto date: Aug. 30, 2021
  • Status: Died in House committee
  • What: Would have repealed a law that requires a permit to purchase pistols.
  • Cooper’s statement: “Gun permit laws reduce gun homicides and suicides and reduce the availability of guns for criminal activity. At a time of rising gun violence, we cannot afford to repeal a system that works to save lives. The legislature should focus on combating gun violence instead of making it easier for guns to end up in the wrong hands.”

HB 324 – Ensuring Dignity and Nondiscrimination/Schools

  • Local sponsors: None
  • Veto date: Sept. 10, 2021
  • Status: Died in House committee
  • What: A direct response to outrage over critical race theory, this bill notes that public schools can’t promote certain ideas around race or sex.
  • Cooper’s statement: “The legislature should be focused on supporting teachers, helping students recover lost learning, and investing in our public schools. Instead, this bill pushes calculated, conspiracy-laden politics into public education.”

SB 326 – Election Day Integrity Act 

  • Local sponsors: Galey, Krawiec
  • Veto date: Dec. 2, 2021
  • Status: Died in Senate committee
  • What: Would have changed the date in which county board of elections would have had to receive mail-in absentee ballots in order to be counted.
  • Cooper’s statement: “The legislature ironically named this bill ‘The Election Day Integrity Act’ when it actually does the opposite. Election integrity means counting every legal vote, but this bill virtually guarantees that some will go uncounted.”

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