North Carolina overrides vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein

A raft of bills became law after the Republican Legislature in North Carolina overrode vetoes by Democrat Gov. Josh Stein.

One of the eight new laws recognizes only male and female sexes and limits changes to sex on birth certificates.

Other laws require local sheriffs to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, change charter school supervision and audit state agency spending.

The headline “Prevent Sexual Exploitation/Women and Minors” bill passed the state House 72-48, with one Democrat voting with Republicans to override the governor’s veto.

It also passed the state Senate 30-19 with no Democrat votes required to override the veto.

“The bill defines throughout state law the terms man, woman, male, female, and sex according to biology,” said executive director of the NC Values Coalition Tammy Fitzgerald, according to the local News & Observer. “And that’s important because we’re seeing attacks on biological sex everywhere throughout our society.”

The legislation also tightens requirements on pornography websites to prove consent and age verification of all those depicted in images or videos. Other provisions strengthen parental rights on what children are taught in school about sex and prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for transgender surgery.

The lone Democrat supporting the two-sex bill said his vote came down to morality.

“I had some moral issues and I had to lean on my values,” Rep. Naisf Majeed told reporters when asked about his vote on HB 805.

In his veto message, Stein called HB 805 and others “mean-spirited bills [that] would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education,” according to the Associated Press.

In his inaugural speech, Stein vowed to work with the Republican Legislature in a bipartisan manner. But during a June and July frenzy, he issued 14 vetoes of GOP legislation.

He blasted the vetoed laws as “stoking culture wars that further divide us.”

Local news media speculated while the GOP enjoys a supermajority in the state Senate, a loss of one seat in the state House in the 2024 elections meant Republicans in the lower chamber no longer have a supermajority, making Stein veto proof “if House Democrats remain united.”

This unity didn’t happen.

The New York Times bemoaned the one-vote margin “has proved to be too thin” to prevent the Republicans from dominating so far.

The GOP has overturned eight of Stein’s 14 vetoes.

The Legislature is still awaiting votes on six other bills vetoed by the governor, including a bill that would allow permitless concealed carry over 18; allow volunteers and employees in private schools to carry firearms; ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at state agencies; and require state officials to cooperate with federal enforcement of immigration laws.

The provision allowing the carrying of firearms in private schools passed the state House with one Democrat vote and is awaiting action in the state Senate where the GOP has a supermajority.

Three other bills have been overridden by the Senate and are waiting on votes in the House.

Two other vetoed bills have not held votes in either chamber.