Latest news with #BradOvercash
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wider DEI restrictions for NC colleges pass Senate, as House again punts its own DEI bill
Image: Adobe Stock The North Carolina Senate on Wednesday passed a bill expanding restrictions for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses. And over in the House, voting on a separate bill banning DEI within state and local government was delayed for the second time this week. The Republican-led Senate Bill 558 defines a range of 'divisive concepts' and 'discriminatory practices' that campuses are banned from endorsing or affirming. That includes treating a person differently 'solely to advantage or disadvantage that individual.' The UNC System last year repealed their DEI policy, replacing it with a statement of 'principled neutrality.' And the Trump administration issued an executive order earlier this year banning DEI efforts on campuses nationally. The UNC System board, as well as community colleges' governing body, would be required to adopt new policies to comply with the bill. '(DEI programming and practices) distracted our system of public higher education from their key goals and what they should be focused on,' said Sen. Brad Overcash (R-Gaston), one of the bill's sponsors. Overcash read a passage from 'So You Want To Talk About Race,' the 2018 Ijeoma Oluo book, to demonstrate what he viewed as 'divisive concepts' in question. Democratic opponents said that the bill was vague, could have unintended impacts for programs like scholarships for rural students, and would have a chilling effect. 'We are opening Pandora's box,' said Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Chatham), who argued that any talk of 'divisive concepts' should focus on the history of discrimination and racism against students of color at universities. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) told reporters Wednesday that if 'unintended' programs like rural scholarships ended up being impacted by the bill, he would move to 'take action' and fix it. Across the building Wednesday, House Republicans again punted a vote on a bill to ban DEI efforts across state and local governments. It was originally scheduled for debate Tuesday. House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) said the bill's lead sponsor, Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus), was absent. A group in the gallery came to protest the bill, including state Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton, for the second straight day.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans move forward bill to remove DEI practices from higher education in NC
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Senate Republicans got one step closer on Wednesday to removing what they call 'divisive concepts' and 'discriminatory practices' from public colleges and universities, like the UNC system. 'These divisive concepts and these discriminatory practices have divided our campuses, divided our student bodies, divided our faculty, along lines that are unnecessary and unproductive,' Senator Brad Overcash, a sponsor of the bill, said. Senate Bill 558 is titled 'Eliminating 'DEI' in Public Higher Education,' but a definition of DEI is nowhere in the bill. That's something state Democrats take issue with. Republicans amended the bill on Wednesday to also bar institutions from creating a reporting system for offensive or harmful speech. Democrats say the bill would unfairly impact scholarships and college acceptances while also silencing important conversations around race, gender, and history. 'I think we begin to weaken the system because it's been doing a good job, and this is almost an insult to the system,' Senator Gladys Robinson said. Other opposers of the bill say sponsors never asked students for their input on a bill that would impact them the most. 'If you're going to give them guns at 18, and concealed weapons at 18, you should be talking to them about these types of bills,' Mark Swallow with Democracy Out Loud said. 'It is critical to prepare educators and students rights to talk about race and gender in schools, limiting when and how these conversations can occur runs counter to principles of free speech,' Reighlah Collins with the ACLU said. While the bill doesn't define DEI, it does ban any and all DEI offices or jobs. The bill has moved to the next committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
NC Republicans revive "bathroom bill" themes in new legislation
Two North Carolina Republican state senators unveiled legislation Tuesday that echoes the state's 2016 "bathroom bill," also known as HB2, which banned transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity. Why it matters: It's been nine years — almost to the day — since state legislative Republicans filed the infamous HB2, sparking nationwide backlash that cost the state billions, aided Democrats in winning the governor's mansion and forced Republicans to backtrack. Driving the news: This year's bill, titled the Women's Safety and Protection Act, includes language much like HB2 in that it defines "biological sex" and restricts access to bathrooms, but it is more sweeping in scope. The bill includes an extensive definition of "biological sex or sex" — along with "boy," "father," "man," "male," "girl," "mother," "woman" and "female" — that appears to mimic recent guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It applies bathroom and changing room restrictions to a broader umbrella of facilities, including prisons, rape crisis and domestic violence centers and schools. The bill, sponsored by state GOP Sens. Vickie Sawyer and Brad Overcash, would also grant people who encounter someone of the "opposite biological sex" the ability to sue facilities that violate the law and block transgender people from changing their birth certificate because of sex reassignment. Reality check: An estimated 1.7% of the world population is born with biological traits that don't fit the binary of male and female sexes. In North Carolina, 0.9% of adults identify as transgender. Between the lines: The political climate now is vastly different than it was in 2016, when Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's signing of HB2 into law likely cost him re-election. Numerous state legislatures have since implemented laws restricting bathroom access, and President Trump has made rolling back trans rights a top priority of his administration. What they're saying: "I don't anticipate the corporate community or the sports and entertainment community or the Democratic party to aggressively push back against this effort because the American public better understands the impact this issue has on locker rooms, women's sports and prisons, unlike eight years ago," McCrory told Axios. "The political environment has changed dramatically." Flashback: North Carolina's Republican-controlled Legislature successfully advanced — and passed into law — legislation banning people assigned male at birth from playing on women's sports teams in 2023.
