NC Senate acts quickly to seek to override 4 governor vetoes

North Carolina state Senate Republicans acted quickly on Tuesday to attempt to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent vetoes on legislation addressing consumer loans, local government finances, and state employee training and hiring.

The Senate voted separately for each of the four measures by margins just wide enough to enact them over Cooper’s objections contained in his veto messages. Any or all of the bills will become law should the House also vote to override the vetoes by similar three-fifths majorities.

Republicans hold veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate for the first time since 2018 thanks to seat gains last fall and a party switch in April. The GOP used these margins last month to override on party-line votes Cooper’s veto of a measure that starting July 1 bars most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy

Each of the four bills acted upon by the Senate on Tuesday received some or overwhelming formal Democratic support before they were sent to Cooper’s desk. The measure with the narrowest amount of bipartisan support at that time would ban the promotion of certain beliefs that some lawmakers have likened to critical race theory in state government workplaces.