BY REP. TODD CARVER

The N.C. General Assembly took a break last week for the July 4th holiday so no new legislation was passed. That doesn’t mean that nothing took place. Gov. Josh Stein signed several bills that were approved by the House and Senate. He also vetoed a few bills, which will cause the legislature to attempt an override. I am sure I have missed something, but I will take an attempt at updating you on the major bills that became law and those that need more work. It would be impossible to make this a comprehensive review of all of the legislation, but here’s a summary:

♦ HB 959, Protecting Students in a Digital Age: This bill was signed into law by the governor. This law requires local boards of education to develop policies that prohibit cell phones in the classroom during instructional times. There are exceptions allowed for teaching or learning games used by a teacher to enhance learning. The law also requires students to be informed about hazards and dangers of social media. This was a bipartisan bill which was widely supported by educators and child advocates alike.

♦ HB 67, Healthcare Workforce Reforms: This legislation was also signed by Gov. Stein. This bill was championed by Grant Campbell of Cabarrus County. It aims to add out-of-state physicians to the North Carolina workforce when they move here. Doctors who have a license to practice in another state at the time they move into North Carolina they will be put on an expedited track for licensure here. This is a commonsense solution and will provide more doctors for North Carolina’s growing population. This was also a bipartisan piece of legislation.

♦ HB 948, the PAVE Act: Gov. Stein also signed this legislation into law. This bill will allow Mecklenburg County to place a 1 cent sales tax referendum on the ballot. If approved, the new tax would fund transit improvements.

♦ HB 412, Childcare Regulatory Reforms: This law is designed to increase access and reduce operational burdens and regulations on childcare operators. This is going to be accomplished by making changes to the childcare grading system and the childcare subsidy reimbursement programs.

♦ SB 321, Accounting Workforce Development Act: This legislation is intended to reduce the regulations related to how accountants obtain their continuing education credits towards certification and recertification.

Gov. Stein also vetoed a few bills this weeks, including two bills that involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. One of the bills prohibited DEI programs in public schools and the other prohibited the programs within N.C. college and university systems. My position has remained very consistent on this issue. I do not support paying for DEI programs with taxpayers’ money. If a private group offers DEI training and charges a fee for attendance, that would be the free market in action, and I support the right to do it.

The final bill I will discuss this week is SB 266, the Power Bill Reduction Act. This bill was also vetoed by the governor. The bill was intended to prevent rate hikes and to slow the pace of rate increases. I suppose some of that is semantics. If you slow the increases, maybe that is a type of reduction. This bill is about slowing the green energy requirements placed on energy providers, delaying some of those deadlines from 2030 to 2050. The additional time will allow for a more gradual transition toward greener energy sources.

A quick civics lesson: In North Carolina, overriding the governor’s veto requires 3/5 of the members present in both the House and Senate to vote in support of the override. It would take 72 members in the House to vote to override a veto, if all 120 members are present. We will have to wait and see what happens to these bills. I will do my best to keep you informed.

Rep. Todd Carver represents the 95th District in the N.C. House.  Email him at todd.carver@ncleg.gov.