State lawmakers are overriding several of Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes Tuesday with help from Democrats. The vetoed bills include the repeal of a carbon reduction mandate for Duke Energy and a plan to shift regulatory powers from state agencies to the legislature.
A new mandate for sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement passed the House because Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham of Charlotte voted with Republicans. She says she wants to see a larger crackdown on immigration.
"It's time to turn the conveyor belt off and adopt a global migration suitable for the times that we're in and that is not destabilizing our communities," Cunningham said, adding that "it's not just the numbers that matter, but also where the immigrants come from, and the culture they bring with them to another country."
Cunningham was one of several House Democrats to cross party lines and help the GOP override Stein. So far, the House hasn't taken a vote to override vetoes of another immigration bill, a repeal of concealed carry handgun permit requirements, and bills banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs in state government and education.
On nine of the 14 bills, at least one House Democrat voted in favor of the controversial legislation initially. To successfully block them from becoming law, Stein would have needed to convince multiple Democrats to change their minds on legislation they’d previously voted for. That’s happened in the past under former Gov. Roy Cooper, but Stein doesn't appear to have succeeded with his latest vetoes.
Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-Edgecombe, crossed party lines on multiple bills Tuesday. He told WUNC that he'd previously supported the legislation and because the bills didn't change, he wasn't willing to change his mind despite the pressure from within his party.
If Democrats stay together on the remaining vetoed bills, Hall will need to wait for absences. He can keep the bills on the calendar through a technique known as the “veto garage,” and then call for a vote at any point when enough Democrats are absent. That could happen anytime between this week and when the two-year session concludes at the end of 2026.
Here’s a full list of the vetoed bills that had been successfully overridden and passed into law as of late Tuesday morning:
Duke Energy’s carbon reduction mandate (Senate Bill 266): Stein says the bill that would eliminate an interim carbon dioxide emissions reduction goal for Duke Energy would make power bills increase. Three House Democrats, however, joined Republicans in reaching the opposite conclusion and voted for the override (although 11 Democrats had voted for the bill initially).
LGBTQ restrictions and school library regulations (House Bill 805): This bill began as a bipartisan House measure to create consent regulations for pornographic websites. But the Senate added a variety of controversial provisions: Allowing lawsuits against medical providers over gender transitions, changing the definition of biological sex in state law to exclude gender identity, and requiring schools to provide parents with a list of school library books with an option to ban their children from checking out specific titles. Only one Democrat voted for the bill initially: Rep. Dante Pittman, a first-term legislator from a highly competitive district in Wilson. Pittman voted no on the override, but it passed because Rep. Nasif Majeed, D-Mecklenburg, voted for it.
Charter school oversight (Senate Bill 254): This one would shift some oversight responsibilities for charter schools from the State Board of Education (mostly appointed by the governor) to the Charter School Review Board (mostly appointed by the legislature). Stein says the power shift is unconstitutional and weakens school accountability, but eight House Democrats voted yes initially and three supported the override.
Guns in private schools (House Bill 193): Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-Edgecombe, was the only Democrat who voted to allow trained staff and volunteers to carry concealed weapons on private school property with permission from school administrators. He told WUNC that he thinks the schools are small enough that staff could safely have weapons to protect their students.
More legislative power over government agency rules: Known as the “REINS Act,” the bill would require legislative approval for any rule or regulation that is deemed to have a cost of at least $20 million over a five-year period. Stein says the bill would "hamstring" agencies, boards and commissions from addressing drinking water quality, PFAS pollution and healthcare issues.
Expanding the state auditor’s powers (House Bill 549): Willingham was also the only Democratic “yes” vote on a measure that will allow the state auditor to access the records of any private business or nonprofit that receives state or federal funds. Stein says that change could harm the state’s business recruitment efforts.
ICE cooperation (House Bill 318): The bill expands on a previous law requiring sheriffs to comply with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers. Cunningham was the lone Democrat to support the House bill.
These vetoed bills were on the calendar for Tuesday, but the House so far hasn't taken action — and it's not clear if the Republicans will have the votes to do so:
Concealed handgun permits (Senate Bill 50): Stein and Democrats are strongly opposed to this proposed repeal of the state’s requirement for permits and background checks for people who want to carry a concealed gun in public. Two House Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill – Reps. William Brisson and Ted Davis – creating an additional challenge for the GOP on an override vote. The Senate easily passed the override along party lines.
Banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies (Senate Bills 558 – higher education, Senate Bill 227 – K-12 schools and House Bill 171 – state government): The trio of bills would ban all DEI programs and policies from public education and state agencies, but the legislation passed without a single vote from Democrats. The Senate voted to override two of the bills Tuesday, but the House hasn't yet called a vote of any of the three.
Immigration enforcement mandates (Senate Bill 153): The bill would require North Carolina law enforcement agencies to align more closely. It would also allow for lawsuits against communities with immigration “sanctuary” policies and block government benefits to people in the country illegally. The Senate passed the override along party lines, but no House Democrats supported it when it initially passed earlier this year.
Squatters and pet shops (House Bill 96): Yes, that’s one bill. The governor says he likes the attempt to make it easier to evict squatters from private homes, but he opposes a last-minute addition that would ban local restrictions on pet shops. He says it would allow for more puppy mills, but 17 House Democrats voted yes on the combined bill. While that might seem to make an override likely, the House introduced a separate bill this week with the squatter legislation alone (without the pet shop provisions). Referring to that provision, Rep. Julia Howard, R-Davie, said Monday that the Senate "decided to add something that didn't belong."
