North Carolina
North Carolina legislators leave after veto overrides, ballot question, unfinished business
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly wrapped up this year’s chief work session Thursday after overriding Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes, putting a constitutional amendment about citizens and voting on the November ballot and sending to Cooper’s desk many additional bills.
But during its two months of work, the Republican-dominated legislature stumbled by failing to pass a comprehensive budget-adjustment measure for the next 12 months. Attempts at putting additional constitutional referendums before voters fell short. And bills on other contentious topics didn’t get over the finish line.
“I wish we had been able to get more done. I think if we had gotten more done, we’d have a little more to talk about,” Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters after his chamber passed an adjournment resolution. But, Berger added, “there was a lot of productive activity that took place.”
The two chambers disagreed over how much more to spend for the fiscal year that began July 1. That included whether state employees and teachers should get raises that are higher than what were already planned in the second year of the already enacted two-year state budget.
And while the House and Senate managed to approve $67.5 million to help for six months child care centers at risk of closing after federal grants expire, they couldn’t agree on setting aside close to $500 million for scholarships and other funds for K-12 students to attend private schools or receive services. GOP leaders in the two chambers identified the funding as a leading priority to address a spike in applications — and children on waiting lists — this year after the General Assembly removed income limits to receive Opportunity Scholarships.
The Senate initially sent the House a standalone spending measure for those private-school programs, but House members wanted the private-school money accompanied by public school spending increases within a budget bill, House Speaker Tim Moore said. Now it looks like tens of thousands of families will miss out, at least in the short term.
“It would be a real shame and a missed opportunity if we don’t get those Opportunity Scholarship dollars out,” Moore told reporters earlier Thursday. “At the same time, we need to make sure we’re doing all that we can for our public schools.”
Moore said later Thursday he was hopeful that the money could still be approved in time for the school year.
Lawmakers will still get another crack at these and other matters. The General Assembly formally agreed to reconvene occasional short sessions for the rest of the year, mainly to address veto overrides or emergencies. But they also could deal with larger matters.
The Republican leadership succeeded Thursday by overriding Cooper’s three vetoes so far this year, extending a winning streak dating back to last year, when all 19 of Cooper’s vetoes were overturned. The GOP holds small veto-proof majorities in each chamber. Following votes on Wednesday in the House, the Senate completed the overrides of measures that alter the state’s face masking policy, youth prosecutions and billboard maintenance rules.
The constitutional amendment heading to the ballot seeks to change language in the state constitution to clarify that only U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age and meeting other qualifications shall be entitled to vote in elections. Voting by noncitizens is already illegal, but some supporters of the amendment say the current language in the constitution could be challenged so that other people beside citizens could vote.
Other amendment questions only passed one chamber. The House approved an amendment that attempts to repeal a literacy test for registering to vote that was used for decades to prevent Black residents from casting ballots. It became unlawful under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and has been unenforceable. The Senate also approved a bill with two amendments — one to lower the cap on income tax rates from 7% to 5% and a second to make clear photo voter ID also applies to mail-in voting.
Legislators did have bipartisan successes in the final days. They sent to Cooper bills that would create new sex exploitation and extortion crimes and that would help combat human trafficking. And the two chambers backed a compromise measure that will allow the resumption of the automatic removal of criminal charges that are dismissed or that result in “not guilty” verdicts. Such removals had been suspended since August 2022 while problems carrying out the expunctions got resolved.
But negotiators failed to hammer out a final bill that would force sheriffs and jailers to comply with federal immigration requests to hold inmates believed to be in the country illegally. The House and Senate couldn’t resolve what to do about a sheriff who still failed to comply, said Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican and negotiator.
And an effort by the Senate to authorize the legal use of marijuana for medicinal purposes didn’t get traction among enough House Republicans, even when the Senate attached it to another measure that placed tough restrictions on federally legal hemp products.
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Associated Press writer Makiya Seminera contributed to this report.
Summer camps at Robeson Community College
From July 8 to July 12, Robeson Community College, in partnership with the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, will be offering Project IndigeCHOICE Camp for American Indian students across Robeson, Scotland, Cumberland, and Hoke counties.
Project IndigeCHOICE will have a wide range of activities for campers to participate in, such as Video Gaming, Wildlife Conservation, STEM projects, and so on. Additionally, this is a free camp funded through a grant from the Department of Education. If you or your child are interested, call 910-272-3700.
Happenings in the General Assembly
The Senate is currently working on passing legislation that would tightly regulate nicotine and hemp-derived products, making them safer for all users, but especially our children. To learn more, or to read the bills, go to: https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookup/2023/H563; or https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/H900
Veto Override
This week, Republicans in the Senate overrode three of Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes. The General Assembly has officially, and successfully, overridden all 22 of Gov. Cooper’s vetoes this biennium.
On the override of House Bill 237, Sen. Britt said, “There are thugs on the streets who wear masks so they can get away with harassing, and sometimes attacking, the public and police. The governor sought to continue encouraging this behavior with his veto of House Bill 237, but the legislature was never going to let that happen.”
Another important bill that modifies Juvenile Justice procedures, which also received a veto from Gov. Cooper, was recently overridden as well. The primary goal of this bill is to have individuals between the ages of 13 and 15 who have committed a Class A felony, and individuals who are 16 or 17 and committed a Class F or G felony, automatically transferred to superior court upon finding probable cause of such crime occurring. For more information about this bill, go to: https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/h%20834v
Additionally, the Senate recently passed a bill that will make changes to certain Constitutional amendments. Notably, the bill aims to require valid photo identification for ALL people voting, not just those going in-person, cap the personal and corporate income tax rate at 5% rather than the current 7%, and to ensure that only those who are citizens and satisfy all other qualifications are able to vote in elections. This bill will now go back to the House for a final vote. To read more about this bill, go to: https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookup/2023/S630 .
Senate Bill 630: Various Constitutional Amendments
As always, we appreciate your continued support and look forward to what’s to come! Please don’t hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions or concerns.
Sen. Danny Earl Britt Jr., Dist. 24 (Hoke, Robeson, Scotland), 300 N. Salisbury St., Room. 525, Raleigh, NC 27603, 919-733-5651.
OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WNCN) — Just as summer begins, some interesting sights in the surf were spotted recently at a North Carolina island south of Wilmington.
Oak Island in Brunswick County is nearly 20 square miles and features all kinds of wildlife.
As the Atlantic Ocean warms up along Oak Island’s 10 miles of beachfront, a shark was accidentally caught in the surf just last week and released.
Sharks are common sights around the 12-mile long island, where at least one charter operates taking folks out on the ocean to try to catch sharks.
Last Saturday, a fisherman accidentally hooked an 8-foot lemon shark, a species that is not normally aggressive toward humans.
The shark was caught as the June Strawberry moon could be seen over the fishing pier. After catching the shark in the surf, the fisherman struggled a bit to unhook the fish — finally letting it go.
And around Memorial Day, a rare alligator was caught on video at the same Oak Island pier. The gator — a baby — was spotted in clear shallow water.
Mary Frances Barnes Rodriguez caught the video of the gator swimming and floating along the waves.
Oak Island has warned about sharks in the past — and uses a purple flag on beaches to let beachgoers know about possible threats from sea creatures.
So far, on the North Carolina coast, a 14-year-old boy was bitten by a shark last weekend in North Topsail Beach, north of Wilmington in Onslow County.
Five days before the teen was bitten, there was an initial report of a “shark bite” at Sunset Beach in Brunswick County, near the South Carolina line, according to WWAY-TV. Police at the island later said a man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after he was bitten by a sea creature, but officials could not confirm it was a shark.
If you like excitement, get ready because the Washington Spirit are about to face a fiery test against the North Carolina Courage. At Audi Field this Saturday, during Pride Night, the league leaders will square off against one of the most resilient and defensively solid teams in the NWSL.
The Washington Spirit, with their ten wins, are making NWSL history. They became only the third team in league history to win ten of their first fourteen regular season matches, a feat only Seattle and the North Carolina Courage themselves have managed before. Coming off a physical and decisive win against Gotham FC, the Spirit are fired up and confident. Courtney Brown and Croix Bethune were outstanding in the last match, with Bethune collecting her ninth assist of the season, a milestone that puts her among the best in league history.
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On the other hand, the Courage, despite an uneven start, have been recovering with an iron defense and an attack that has finally found its rhythm. They are coming off an impressive win against the Chicago Red Stars, where three different players scored. This result is a sign that the Courage are not messing around and can surprise any opponent.
The Spirit know it won’t be easy. The Courage have dominated possession this season, leading the league with 58% possession and over 5,800 passes completed. That means the Spirit need to be surgical in the opportunities they get. And speaking of opportunities, the Spirit attack is one of the most lethal in the league. With Trinity Rodman, Ouleymata Sarr and Croix Bethune leading the charge, the Spirit have an offensive line that can pick apart any defense.
This clash also marks the return of Ashley Sanchez to Audi Field. Sanchez was traded at the beginning of the year, and her performance has been solid with two goals and three assists this season. Will she put on a show against her former team? It’s the kind of storyline that makes this sport so exciting.
What’s more, the Spirit’s unbeaten run in their last six matches adds an extra layer of pressure. They know that a stumble could cost them dearly in the title race. On the other hand, the Courage are still looking for their first away win this season, and toppling the leaders would make a powerful statement.
And if you think Spirit will settle for the lead, think again. This team has shown an insatiable hunger for victories, and Pride Night is the perfect setting for yet another spectacle. With the fans on their side and extra motivation, Spirit are determined to maintain their position at the top.
The team needs to be alert and take advantage of every opportunity, while the Courage are looking to keep possession and exploit any gaps in the defense. The question remains: who will emerge victorious? No matter the result, one thing is certain – high-quality soccer and lots of excitement are guaranteed. Let’s follow along and hope for a great spectacle!
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