RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein issued seven more vetoes, bringing his total number of vetoes since taking office in January to 11.
Stein’s latest vetoes have him passing his predecessor Roy Cooper, who had vetoed nine bills by the end of July 2017. Cooper issued 28 vetoes during the 2017-18 legislative sessions, with 23 of the 28 overridden by the legislature.
The first round of bills vetoed by Stein included Senate Bill 266, House Bill 549, and Senate Bill 254.
Senate Bill 266 is the Power Bill Reduction Act, with a main provision of eliminating the current goal for a 70% reduction in state carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by the year 2030 for electric generating facilities by certain electric public utilities.
House Bill 549 is an agency bill filed by the N.C. State Auditor’s Office granting the state auditor the ability to investigate any entity that receives or handles state dollars and strengthens the agency’s access to records it seeks by permitting court action for noncompliance.
Senate Bill 254 involves clarifying the role of the Charter School Review Board (CSRB) by making rules or policies adopted by the N.C. State Board of Education to first be approved by the CSRB. Under the bill, the CSRB is also given oversight of the executive director for the Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Charter Schools.
Stein’s veto message of Senate Bill 266 claims a “recent independent analysis” shows the bill will cost ratepayers “up to $23 billion through 2050 due to higher fuel costs,” and he objected to the change in carbon emissions.
Regarding Senate Bill 266, House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) and Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) issued statements promising a veto override. The bill passed the House with help from 11 Democrats and three Democrats in the Senate voted in favor.
“I’m disappointed in the governor’s veto of the ‘Power Bill Reduction Act,’ which would have delivered cheap, reliable energy to North Carolina, cut the red tape that is choking innovation and long-term energy solutions, and saved consumers over $12 billion dollars,” said Hall. “Considering the strong bipartisan support in both chambers, we anticipate overriding this veto.”
“Josh Stein is a Green New Deal Radical. His veto of a commonsense bill, which would save North Carolinians $15 billion dollars on their electric bills, proves it,” said Berger in a post on X. “I look forward to leading the Senate in overriding Gov. Stein’s veto.”
Stein’s veto message of House Bill 549 claimed the bill would “grant the Auditor sweeping access to the data and records of any private corporation that accepts any amount of state funding.”
Stein said such power “may undermine” efforts to recruit businesses to come to North Carolina. He also objected to the auditor’s office being able exempt from rules on information technology, saying it would put North Carolinians’ “personal identifying information at heightened risk of a breach.”
N.C. State Auditor Dave Boliek pushed back in a statement, saying the agency bill was written to “protect the independence” of his office and that the bill incorporated feed back from Stein’s office and from lawmakers.
“Governor Stein’s veto undercuts the important principles of accountability and transparency that taxpayers expect from their government,” wrote Boliek. He added that he expects the legislature will override the veto.
In his veto message of Senate Bill 254, Stein claimed the bill is “an unconstitutional infringement on the authority of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.”
Stein also claimed the bill “weakens accountability of charter schools when every North Carolina student deserves excellent public schools, whether traditional or charter.”
“As a member of the State Board of Education, I have been consistently appalled at the opposition to school choice and charter schools that has been apparent since my first meeting in January,” N.C. State Treasurer Briner said about the veto in a statement on X.
“Families need to be able to choose an education that best meets their child’s needs, and an independent Charter School Review Board is best equipped to oversee these schools,” said Briner, who sits on the N.C. State Board of Education, adding that he hopes to see a veto override.
N.C. State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis and N.C. State Superintendent Mo Green issued a lengthy joint statement, which in part said, “We are deeply concerned by the Charter School Review Board (CSRB) provisions in Senate Bill 254 and appreciate Governor Stein’s veto of this unconstitutional bill.”
North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools Executive Direct Dave Machado countered the unconstitutionality claims, stating, “The Constitution clearly authorizes the legislature to do this. The operative words are literally, ‘subject to laws enacted by the General Assembly’.”
“The success of public charter schools hinges on their flexibility and autonomy,” Machado said. “The legislature rightly placed at the front line of charter school regulation and oversight a body of public charter school experts insulated from political maneuverings that have hamstrung the charter school sector in other states.”
The second round of vetoes included Senate Bill 227, Senate Bill 558, House Bill 805, and House Bill 171.
Senate Bill 227, Senate Bill 558 and House Bill 171 deal with removing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies (DEI) from K-12 public education, the UNC System and state government, respectively. Berger is the lead primary sponsor on the two Senate bills.
House Bill 805 requires online platforms and websites to verify consent and age for any person depicted in pornographic content. It also extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for suing a doctor over gender transition procedures and surgeries. The bill legally defines sex based on biology and bans state funds for surgical gender transition procedures, puberty blockers and hormones to state prisoners.
Additionally, the bill bans K-12 males and females from sharing sleeping spaces, lets parents opt their kids out of certain lessons based on religious freedom, and requires that amended birth certificates involving a sex change must include the original birth certificate and the person’s original biological sex.
Stein issued the same message for all four of the July 3 vetoed bills, accusing the bills of being a culture wars distraction and calling them “mean-spirited.”
While Stein vetoed House Bill 805, he did sign Senate Bill 442, which shields parents from prosecution and protect parents from claims of abuse if they do not support or affirm gender transition surgeries or treatments for their children. The measure also protects prospective adoptive parents.
“At a time when teachers, law enforcement, and state employees need pay raises and people need shorter lines at the DMV, the legislature failed to pass a budget and, instead, wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us,” Stein wrote. “These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education.”
Stein also wrote, “I stand ready to work with the legislature when it gets serious about protecting people and addressing North Carolinians’ pressing concerns.”
Hall reacted by outlining what House Bill 805 does in a post on X, and adding, “Gov. Stein vetoed this bill and sided with radical activists over the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians. We will keep fighting.”
Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus), the primary sponsor for House Bil 171, responded to the veto on X saying he was disappointed, and writing, “I find it odd that Governor Stein is against merit-based hiring in state government. I look forward to overriding this veto.”
In a statement on X, Berger addressed the vetoes and criticized Stein for choosing to “bow down to a radical ideology.”
“Gov. Josh Stein had the opportunity to support women and girls across North Carolina today, yet he chose to bow down to a radical ideology that harms women,” wrote Berger. “In House Bill 805, we took bold action to define two sexes in state law, just like President Trump did in his groundbreaking executive order.”
“Gov. Stein also had the chance to rid our public schools, colleges and universities, and state agencies of divisive ‘DEI’ programs but refused to do so,” Berger wrote. “He’s choosing to ignore the clear will of the people who are tired of politically correct nonsense.”
Berger added, “I’m prepared to lead the Senate in overriding Gov. Stein’s vetoes and stand up for the North Carolinians he claims to represent.”
