Special to Iredell Free News

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed two bills, vetoed four others and allowed one to become law without his signature:

Signed Bills

♦ House Bill 252: Bail Bond/Bondsmen Provisions/Other Changes
♦ House Bill 103: 2022 Appropriations Act

Cooper made the following statement on HB 103:

“Today, I signed the state budget (HB 103) that includes critical investments in education, economic development, transportation and the state workforce. This budget does not include Medicaid Expansion, but the leadership in both the House and Senate now support it and both chambers have passed it. Negotiations are occurring now and we are closer than ever to agreement on Medicaid Expansion, therefore a veto of this budget would be counterproductive.”

The budget includes the changes in the law requested by the NC Department of Health and Human Services to ensure flexibility that is currently made possible by the Governor’s Covid-19 State of Emergency. The State of Emergency will be lifted on August 15, 2022.

Vetoes

♦ House Bill 49: Concealed Carry Permit Lapse/Revise Law
♦ Senate Bill 101: Require Cooperation with ICE 2.0
♦ Senate Bill 593: Schools for the Deaf and Blind
♦ House Bill 823: Child Advocacy Centers/Share Information

Cooper made the following statement on HB 49:

“Requiring sheriffs to waive firearm safety and training courses for those who let their concealed weapons permit lapse is yet another way Republicans are working to chip away at commonsense gun safety measures that exist in North Carolina.”

The governor made the following statement on SB 101:

“This law is only about scoring political points and using fear to divide North Carolinians. As the state’s former top law enforcement officer, I know that current law already allows the state to incarcerate and prosecute dangerous criminals regardless of immigration status. This bill is unconstitutional and weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating that sheriffs do the job of federal agents, using local resources that could hurt their ability to protect their counties.”

Cooper made the following statement on SB 593:

“Not only is this bill blatantly unconstitutional, it continues this legislature’s push to give more control of education to Boards of Trustees made up of partisan political appointees. First the legislature seized control of all UNC system trustee appointments from the Executive Branch. They did the same with two of the state’s community college boards. And now, this bill removes administration of the important NC Schools for the Deaf and Blind from the State Board of Education to a newly created board with 80% of the trustees, who may or may not know how to run these schools, appointed by the legislature. The students at the schools deserve steady, knowledgeable leadership rather than becoming a part of the erosion of statewide education oversight.”

Cooper made the following statement on HB 823:

“This bill was well-intended to better serve children, but in the hurried conclusion of session it included critical flaws, for example, limiting departments of social services’ ability to refer children who have come to the attention of child welfare to pediatric specialists for appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment. Legislators should continue to work with the NC Department of Health and Human Services, the Child Advocacy Centers, and others to fix these flaws and move this work forward in future legislation to best help children.”

New Law

♦ HB 911: Regulatory Reform Act of 2022

Cooper made the following statement about HB 911 becoming law without his signature:

“This bill contains necessary changes in several areas but will become law without my signature due to a provision involving confessions of judgement that could be unfair to consumers. Weakening their due process rights in this way could also conflict with federal regulations that recognize confessions of judgement are harmful to consumers. Legislators have pledged to eliminate this provision and I expect them to be true to their word.”