Latest news with #SenateBill516
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Restrictions on transgender bathroom use won't get NC Senate vote before deadline
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people from using bathrooms different from those matching the sex on their birth certificates, and was later repealed.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. Not a subscriber? Sign up on our website to receive Under the Dome in your inbox daily.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senator Overcash, you know me. Why are you erasing me?
Image: iStock/Getty Images Dear Senator Overcash: I shouldn't need to re-introduce myself to you, but I'm Paige Sullivan. I'm a native and lifelong resident of North Carolina. I'm also transgender and a former classmate of yours. We shared the same public school hallways for twelve years. We had many of the same teachers, though never in the same classroom at the same time. I write to you today, standing up not only for myself, but thousands of transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, intersex North Carolinians, and families with transgender children. Since we already know each other, let's keep this casual. Brad, what are you doing? I was shocked when I saw your name on this bill. You were always a go-getter in school, but I never thought you'd put your name on a bathroom bill like Senate Bill 516. Have you considered the implications of the bills you have sponsored? Can you all please explain to us how a person with a beard and a deep voice, who's been on testosterone, belongs in the women's room? What protections would you offer a transgender woman who is forced to use the men's room? What will happen when someone needs to take their child or aging relative to the restroom and of a different gender? There are many other scenarios to consider, and this bill will hurt many people. Secondly, why is there a restriction on changing our birth certificates and driver's licenses? Is that a personal dig at me, perchance? It's no one's business, especially the government's, of what's between our legs. On top of that, you have no idea how the transition process works. For me, it has taken the better part of twenty years. I've had psychological evaluations, relating directly to my gender identity, by doctors over a few years. I've been on estradiol injections for twelve years. I've had five surgeries. You don't just walk into a clinic and have reassignment surgery. Okay, let's move on to Senate Bill 227. By banning DEI programs, you're not eliminating bias but codifying it. Students deserve to learn the full scope of American history, including the lives of Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities. Silencing these narratives doesn't protect kids—it denies them the tools to understand the world they're growing up in. We went to overwhelmingly 'white' schools, but you had at least three racial minorities in your graduating class. Maybe you should ask them what they think of this bill. Explain to them that because they are a racial minority, other kids shouldn't learn about their history or struggles for freedom and equal rights. What's the real reason? Brad, I know you are better than this. Stand on the right side of history. Don't let party politics close your eyes to the harm these bills will cause. Think of your Christian beliefs. Would Jesus stand for this? I invite you to read Matthew 25:34-35, Luke 14:13, and the many teachings that call us toward justice and mercy. I'm not asking you to change overnight. I'm asking you to listen, to remember who I am, and to lead with compassion. We were taught in civics class that we are equal—did you forget that? Would you like me to contact some of our former teachers to provide a refresher course on the foundational documents of our country and state? I know one who would do it in a heartbeat for you. Brad, you and I learned the same lessons about fairness, equality, and civic responsibility. I'm not asking for a debate. I'm asking for humanity. You may not accept my meeting request, but I hope you'll receive this: Laws like SB 516 and SB 227 harm real people. And now, you still have the chance to choose compassion over cruelty.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LGBTQ+ advocates rally for trans visibility, slam latest NC bill targeting their rights
Advocates for trans rights rallied outside the North Carolina Capitol Sunday afternoon after marching through downtown Raleigh to protest federal- and state-level aggression toward the transgender and LGBTQ+ community. At the crux is Senate Bill 516, introduced last Tuesday, which would ban trans people from using bathrooms and other single-sex facilities that align with their gender identity — similar to the state's 2016 'bathroom bill.' 'Less than four months into 2025, 42 anti-trans bills have passed in 18 different states,' Britt Bateman, a 22-year-old trans man and junior at North Carolina Central University, said during the rally that drew nearly 100 people. Bateman, along with dozens of supporters, including Triangle branches of the Socialist Alternative and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, gathered for the 'Trans Day of Visibility and Resistance'on the eve of International Transgender Day of Visibility, which occurs on March 31. SB 516 reignites a contentious debate over bathroom access that roiled the state in 2016 following the passage of House Bill 2, a similar law restricting transgender people from using the bathroom aligned to their gender, The News & Observer previously reported. The latest bill would also target people's ability to modify sex markers on legal documents, so trans people would no longer have the right to change their gender on their birth certificate or driver's license to align with their identity. 'Senate Bill 516 threatens us with increased discrimination, dehumanization and violence,' Bateman said. 'As it is, I already feel anxiety when I use public restrooms. I've already had my gender interrogated in public bathrooms. I've already been harassed. And this bill just encourages more threats like that.' Bateman said they believe that since President Donald Trump returned to office, hatred is being normalized. Flyers advertising the rally circulated downtown Raleigh and blamed the Trump administration for 'using trans people as scapegoats to distract from the billionaire capture of the government.' Trump has signed several executive orders limiting trans rights. Earlier this year, he banned trans women and girls from participating in female sports in federally funded schools and banned federal funding or support for youth gender-affirming care. He has also stated the federal government would only recognize two sexes and has promoted banning service members in the military who identify as transgender. 'We gather here not just to be seen, but to send a message. We are here. We have always been here, and we are not going anywhere,' Zan Brigham, a 26-year-old trans man who lives in Durham, said into a megaphone. Brigham said state politicians are 'waging war' on trans people. 'Trans people have always been the dreamers, the storytellers, the ones who dare to imagine a world beyond binaries, beyond borders, beyond oppression,' Brigham said. Six individuals spoke over loudspeakers at Moore Square before the crowd began marching. As protesters moved toward the Capitol, they held signs that said 'Trans rights matter,' 'Trans rights are human rights,' and 'I am not an ideology, I am a human being.' They chanted for trans liberation to end transphobic violence. At the Capitol, the advocates opened the mic to attendees. There were no counter-protesters, though three State Capitol Police officers told the demonstrators that they did not have a permit to be there. Five individuals shared their own stories, including Rosa Gibson, a trans woman and member of the Party for Socialism. 'I am thankful that I am trans because it puts me in a lineage of fighters,' Gibson said.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Carolina Senate proposal again seeks to bar transgender people from specified public restrooms
A demonstrator holds a sign reading "Trans Kids Belong" at a March 2024 rally outside the North Carolina Legislative Building. Republican state senators have introduced a bill in 2025 that would enact new restrictions on the rights of transgender people. (Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline) A group of North Carolina state senators is seeking to enact a new ban on transgender people using bathrooms and other single-sex facilities that correspond to their gender identity, nearly a decade after the state's infamous 2016 'bathroom bill.' Filed Tuesday, Senate Bill 516, entitled the 'Women's Safety and Protection Act,' would bar trans people from using unisex restrooms, changing facilities, and sleeping quarters that correspond to their gender identities. It would also define 'male' and 'female' in state law strictly according to assigned sex at birth and prohibit the modification of sex markers on birth certificates and driver's licenses. Introduced by lead sponsors Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell) and Sen. Brad Overcash (R-Gaston), the bill states its purpose as twofold: 'to clarify and reconcile the meaning of the terms biological sex, gender, and any other related terms in State law' and to 'provide protections for women against sexual assault, harassment, and violence' and other 'acts of abuse committed by biological men.' Joining Sawyer and Overcash in sponsoring the bill are Republican state senators Lisa Barnes, Warren Daniel, Bobby Hanig, and Ralph Hise. Hise and Daniel voted in favor of the House Bill 2 bathroom ban in 2016, while the other sponsors were not yet serving in the legislature. None of the bill's sponsors responded to a request for comment. Unlike the 2016 ban, Senate Bill 516 takes aim at a smaller scope of facilities — prisons and other confinement facilities, domestic violence and rape crisis centers, and public schools — and specifically those that receive state funds. But where that bill's scope was limited to bathrooms and changing rooms, this proposal also specifies sleeping quarters, and its emphasis on shelters has prompted concerns from civil rights advocates that trans women seeking protection from domestic violence and sexual abuse could be placed at risk for further violence. 'Transgender people already face higher rates of harassment and violence than cisgender peers,' said Reighlah Collins, policy counsel at the ACLU of North Carolina. 'This is just setting up trans people for further attacks and further vulnerability in these places where people are supposed to be safe.' The bill includes exemptions for family use of facilities, rendering medical or emergency aid, performing custodial work, inspections, and maintenance, and law enforcement activities. It also excludes policies at domestic violence and rape crisis centers to accommodate minors and individuals who require physical assistance. The legislation would require that all bathrooms, changing facilities, and sleeping quarters at the facilities it covers be used by individuals of one sex at a time, not including those exemptions. And it prohibits public schools from hosting events where students share sleeping quarters from grouping together students of different sexes unless they have received permission from parents or guardians. Jazmynne Cruz, a spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ rights organization Equality NC, wrote in an emailed statement that the group was 'disheartened' by a bill they view as 'yet another attack on our transgender community.' 'As we continue to learn more about the implications of this bill, we remain committed to keeping you informed and sharing meaningful ways to support our transgender neighbors,' Cruz wrote. 'Our fight for equality continues, and we are stronger together.' Advocates for the bill framed the issue in terms of protecting women. Ashley Vaughan, the press director for the North Carolina Values Coalition — a religious right advocacy organization — wrote in a statement in response to the bill that 'men are men, women are women, and men should not be allowed to rob women of their safety and privacy.' 'Defining male and female by biology in North Carolina law is important because when men can identify as women it invalidates hundreds of laws and policies designed to protect women,' Vaughan wrote. 'We need to protect women and girls in private spaces where they are vulnerable.' Collins argued that such framing is disingenuous, and that the bill's enforcement mechanism — which opens up facilities and state agencies that do not comply to lawsuits — risks exposing all women to the use of invasive techniques to determine individuals' birth sex, such as physical searches and examinations. 'Senate Bill 516 would leave all women — transgender or not — vulnerable to accusations and discrimination based on how well they conform to someone else's standard for their gender,' Collins said. 'If they don't look like what people expect people to look like in that bathroom, they are likely to face pushback and really setting them up for danger.' Less than a decade ago, North Carolina experienced an enormous national and international backlash after the implementation of HB 2, the 'bathroom bill' that barred trans people from using public restrooms corresponding to their gender identity throughout the state. The bill prompted business leaders around the country to pull projects from North Carolina in a show of protest, costing the state an estimated $3.76 billion according to the Associated Press. The state also lost out on major sporting events, including the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, which was set to be played in Charlotte but ultimately moved to New Orleans. Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, said that context makes him 'surprised' that senators would broach another bathroom bill, even as national sentiment has moved right on some trans issues in the intervening decade. 'I expected the General Assembly to lean into bills around gender-affirming care for minors and about trans women in sports — two parts of the trans issue where they seem to be on the side of public opinion,' he said. 'I was a little bit surprised to see a bill get introduced that seems to go back in time, to sort of give away the rhetorical advantage they seem to have on this issue.' Cooper noted that top Republican leaders — like Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, whose support, he said, would give 'a golden highway to passage' for almost any bill — had not joined onto SB 516 as a sponsor, suggesting there may not be an appetite among leadership for such a far-reaching measure. 'The bathroom issue, the driver's license issue — those seem to be places where the public might be a little bit more on the trans rights side,' Cooper said. 'I could see that kind of backlash [that occurred after HB 2]. I can almost guarantee, if this becomes law, there will be lawsuits, there will be backlash.' But President Donald Trump won reelection in part by launching broad attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris for her support of transgender rights, with campaign ads castigating her for being 'for they/them' while Trump was 'for you' and for stating during the 2020 campaign that she would support government-funded gender-affirming surgery for undocumented immigrants. 'Trump got this right, and now North Carolina got this right,' wrote Vaughan, the North Carolina Values Coalition spokesperson. And other Republican legislatures states have passed laws restricting trans rights with far less pushback than North Carolina received in 2016. Should SB 516 become law, North Carolina would be the fourth states to codify 'male' and 'female' by assigned sex at birth, the seventh state forbidding the change of sex markers on birth certificates, and the 15th to bar trans people from at least some single-sex spaces aligning with their gender identity. SB 516 comes amid a wave of legislation in North Carolina seeking to curtail the rights of trans people to express their gender identity and restrict their access to gender-affirming healthcare. In 2023, North Carolina banned gender-affirming care for minors and barred trans student athletes from participating in women's sports at most schools, two issues that Trump championed on the campaign trail the following year. 'This is part of a coordinated, larger strategy across the country to push transgender people out of public and civic life, despite the clear signs that this is discriminatory and doesn't work,' said Collins, the ACLU policy counsel. A group of GOP lawmakers also introduced a bill Wednesday that would seek to expand parents' access to their kids' medical records, examinations and treatment, including discussions of gender identity. House Bill 519, labeled the 'Parents' Medical Bill of Rights' by its sponsors, would grant parents the right 'to access and review all medical records' of their child. It was prompted, lawmakers say, by constituent complaints that common medical practice allowed children starting at 12 to opt out of sharing information with their parents. 'We must stop operating under a system that sidelines parents and assumes institutions knows better,' said Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), who said her son had just turned 12 and had seen medical professionals asking for his consent to share information. 'I'm paying for the insurance,' added Rep. Brian Biggs (R-Randolph). 'I want to be involved.' At the core of that medical practice is a 50-year-old law created to allow minors to discuss sensitive medical topics, including pregnancy and venereal disease, with a doctor. But the bill sponsors say it's led to conversations and decisions they don't support — such as being vaccinated for COVID-19 or having discussions about sexuality. 'This has to stop,' Biggs said. If the bill were to become law, it would likely have wide-ranging impacts on sensitive medical discussions for children — including those dealing with pregnancy, sexuality and gender-affirming care. (In North Carolina, gender-affirming care is banned until age 18; abortion is banned after 12 weeks of pregnancy.) Neither bill has yet to be scheduled for a committee hearing. NC Newsline's Galen Bacharier contributed reporting.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Republicans propose new ‘bathroom bill'
State Republicans have introduced Senate Bill 516, known as the 'Women's Safety and Protection Act,' which aims to restrict transgender individuals from using public restrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex. The bill mandates that bathrooms in public schools and other facilities be designated for use by one biological sex at a time. It also seeks to prevent transgender individuals from changing the gender on their birth certificates and requires driver's licenses to reflect a person's sex at birth. One year later, lawmakers still divided over HB2 Senate Bill 516 is reminiscent of the controversial 'bathroom bill,' also known as HB2, that became law in North Carolina nine years ago, which similarly restricted restroom access based on biological sex. This bill does not affect private entities, and it does not affect employment. HB 2, which was repealed a year later, led to billions of dollars in lost economic investment in North Carolina, according to an Associated Press analysis of state financial records at the time. VIDEO: AP Exclusive: 'Bathroom bill' to cost North Carolina $3.76B
