Restrictions on transgender bathroom use won't get NC Senate vote before deadline

Yahoo

07-05-2025

Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I'm Caitlyn Yaede. As legislative 'crossover' week ramps up, Dawn Vaughan has the latest on some bills that aren't going to advance in time to meet Thursday's deadline.
SENATE BILL ON BATHROOM USE WON'T GET A VOTE
Republican Senate leader Phil Berger said Tuesday that Senate Bill 516 would not come to the floor this week, which means that the bill likely can't be taken up by the House this legislative session.
The bill had been compared to House Bill 2, the controversial 'bathroom bill' that banned transgender people from using bathrooms different from those matching the sex on their birth certificates, and was later repealed. SB 516, called the 'Women's Safety and Protection Act,' would require restrooms in public schools and other facilities 'only be used by one designated biological sex at one time,' The N&O previously reported.
'First of all, I would say that the comparison of that bill to House Bill 2 is an inapt comparison,' Berger told reporters after the Senate session. He continued: 'I don't see at this point the runway exists for that bill to be passed by the Senate between now and crossover on Thursday.'
— Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
But a bill dealing with transgender health will
While that bill is not moving, another one dealing with transgender people met the legislature's deadline.
House Bill 606, which passed the House on Tuesday, would extend the window for individuals to sue over gender transition care received as minors, giving them until age 28.
It bans providers from requiring liability waivers for such care and prohibits state funds from covering gender transition procedures or related drugs for minors and prisoners.
Meanwhile, a separate bill dealing with gender-affirming care is moving forward in both chambers and is expected to receive a Senate floor vote Wednesday. Korie Dean has the details on that measure, which would write into law that a parent's refusal of such medical care for their child could not be considered abuse or neglect. Nor could opposition to such treatment be grounds for denying adoption or foster placement.
— Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi
RULING LEAVES JEFFERSON GRIFFIN WITH A CHOICE TO MAKE
After six months of legal battle, a federal judge handed down a ruling this week that could end the contest for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court.
In a 68-page ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers ordered state election officials to certify the election results as they were at the end of the canvass period, with Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs reclaiming her seat by 734 votes, Kyle Ingram reports. This comes after her challenger, Republican Jefferson Griffin, contested the results of the election and more than 65,000 ballots.
But Myers' orders aren't final. He is giving Griffin seven days to appeal the decision.
Griffin hasn't said yet if he'll do that.
The News & Observer asked Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger on Tuesday afternoon if Griffin should concede the election to Riggs.
'I'm not going to call on him to make any particular decision. That's the decision that he and his team have to make,' Berger said of his fellow Republican.
So where does this leave voters wondering if their ballots count?
'This means, absent a successful appeal, that all voters whose ballots were challenged by Mr. Griffin will remain in the count, without any requirement for further action by those voters,' the State Board of Elections said in a statement on Tuesday.
— Caitlyn Yaede and Dawn Vaughan
NO MEDICAL MARIJUANA FROM SENATE DURING CROSSOVER
While the House is fast-tracking a flurry of bills this week through committees and floor votes before the Thursday crossover deadline, it's more methodical in the upper chamber.
The Senate passed a series of noncontroversial bills Tuesday in a session lasting less than an hour.
Senate leader Phil Berger said a bill impacting pharmacies known as the SCRIPT Act is a 'pretty big priority of ours,' and was expecting a floor vote for Senate Bill 479 on Wednesday. SCRIPT stands for Supporting Community Retail Pharmacies and Improving Transparency.
'Beyond that, I think we've probably taken care of most (legislative priorities) other than the things that will be incorporated into the budget — which, there's a pretty good idea of what they are, based on the budget that was sent to the House,' Berger said.
But a previous big issue for the Senate, legalizing medical marijuana, isn't expected to go through the Senate this week, Berger said.
That doesn't mean it's dead. Senate Rules Chair Bill Rabon likely has other plans for it. It has long been a Senate priority.
Senate Democratic Whip Jay Chaudhuri, of Wake County, said that medical marijuana could show up in the final state budget, or may need to originate as a bill in the House. In previous sessions, it was House Republicans who blocked medical marijuana from passing.
Chaudhuri also noted that the Senate's work was less controversial this week and all session — at least as of Tuesday — compared to the House.
'I think crossover, during my time in the Senate, has probably been slower and less chaotic than in sessions past. But as we all know, the longer we go into session, the more chaos that may ensue,' Chaudhuri said.
— Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
NC ELECTIONS BOARD TO VOTE ON NEW DIRECTOR, FOLLOWING GOP TAKEOVER
The State Board of Elections, which flipped to Republican control for the first time in nearly a decade last week, is expected to vote on an executive director on Wednesday.
Karen Brinson Bell has led the agency since 2019, having been unanimously reappointed to a third two-year term in 2023. That term ends next week.
Though the board could reappoint Brinson Bell to another term, they may be more likely to replace her with a new director given the change in the board's partisan majority.
Republicans have criticized the State Board of Elections for years, with lawmakers sometimes hauling Brinson Bell into legislative hearings where they questioned her decision making.
For over a decade, the governor has had the power to appoint members to the State Board of Elections, traditionally giving their own party a 3-2 majority.
But last year, Republican lawmakers passed a bill stripping the governor of that power and transferring it to the state auditor, a position which had just been won by a Republican for the first time in 16 years.
A panel of trial judges struck down those changes as unconstitutional last month, but the state Court of Appeals reversed that ruling just one day before the change was set to take effect.
Using his new powers, State Auditor Dave Boliek appointed a Republican majority to the board last week.
That board will meet for the first time Wednesday at 10 a.m., when members will be sworn in and will elect a chair and secretary among themselves, in addition to voting on an executive director.
— Kyle Ingram
TILLIS SPLITS FROM TRUMP ON ED MARTIN NOMINATION
Sen. Thom Tillis opposed a nominee of President Donald Trump for the first time in his second term this week, speaking against Ed Martin's nomination to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
Martin is currently serving in an interim capacity, but that expires at the end of the month. Senate confirmation is required for him to hold the role permanently. Tillis told reporters he disagrees with Martin over his support of defendants accused of raiding the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Tillis said he would support Martin's nomination if he were to serve in any district other than the one where the Jan. 6 attack occurred. But Tillis went on to say he doesn't believe Martin's nomination will even get a hearing. It was absent from the Senate Judiciary Committee's agenda this week.
Danielle Battaglia has the full story.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PARKING CHANGES COMING TO DOWNTOWN RALEIGH
The Council of State, made up of 10 elected officials including the governor, approved several changes to parking in downtown Raleigh, Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan reports.
There will be rate increases for state workers — $5 per month — with no more reserved spots for the thousands of state employees who drive to work.
Rates would be imposed for visitors who park in state government lots after hours or on the weekends. These lots are currently free during these hours.
The state will open more lots downtown to the public.
These changes come at the request of the Department of Administration, overseen by Gov. Josh Stein, which cited 'efficiency initiatives.'
An audit revealed that spots reserved for state employees typically do not exceed 50% capacity on any given day. The last increase in these rates was in 1979.
Republican Labor Commissioner Luke Farley was the only council member to vote in opposition to the monthly rate increase Tuesday. The new policies will go into effect July 1.
WHAT ELSE WE'RE WORKING ON
Some law enforcement personnel are lobbying for two companion bills — House Bill 50 and Senate Bill 320 — that would allow experienced officers to retain their badges and retirement benefits if they defer retirement. These measures seek to address a 'staffing crisis' of experienced officers, who currently forfeit retirement benefits for every year they do not retire. Virginia Bridges has the details.
Homelessness is on the rise in Wake County — up 27% from last year, Anna Roman reports. A recent study found a homeless population of 1,258, with more than 150 children among those unhoused in the county.
Today's newsletter was by Caitlyn Yaede, Kyle Ingram, Danielle Battaglia, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Dawn Vaughan. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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