North Carolina leadership is continuing to battle over the future of House Bill 2.
Democratic Governor Roy Cooper wrote in a Medium post on Sunday that, “There is urgency in the air in Raleigh. If we don’t repeal HB2 soon, North Carolina will be shut out of hosting NCAA championships for the next several years.”
Cooper’s comments came after Republican House Representative Chuck McGrady introduced a bill last week that would repeal House Bill 2. But the new bill, House Bill 186, drew concerns from advocacy groups and some Democrats over a provision that would allow for local ordinances to be put on the next municipal or general election ballot if a certain number of signatures were acquired by those opposing the ordinance.
McGrady said this was not a “take-it-or-leave-it bill” when introducing the proposal, adding that any and all provisions were open to negotiation.
But as the days have gone by since the introduction of that bill, one of the Democrats who signed on to co-sponsor the legislation has removed his support.
Cooper criticized the referendum provision.
“I have two concerns with this. First, it subjects the rights of the minority to a vote of the majority. It would be like putting the Civil Rights Act to a popular vote in cities in the South during the 1960s. Except today, it would come with the perils of modern campaigns. Which is my second concern. Imagine the endless campaigning — months of one side demonizing the other about whether LGBT citizens have rights. Toxic 30-second TV ads. Nasty mail filling up your mailbox. And North Carolina is still in the national news for all the wrong reasons.
“Our reputation will continue to suffer. And our efforts to bring back jobs and sporting events will be impaired.”
Cooper proposed another provision in an attempt to “address Republican concerns about local governments,” with the possibility of a majority-plus-one vote at the local level to adopt nondiscrimination ordinances.
House Speaker Tim Moore published a response on Monday morning saying that Cooper “has twice tried to kill the bipartisan and business-backed House Bill 186 before it’s even filed to a committee.”
Moore criticized Cooper for attempting to “sabotage this legislative process, before House members on a single committee even have a chance to weigh-in on this compromise to reset state policy.”
House Democratic leader Darren Jackson tweeted his thoughts on HB186 after canceling a press conference because he said he was losing his voice.
Jackson put the blame for the continuing existence of House Bill 2 on Republican leadership, pointing back to a December special session where a repeal appeared to have been negotiated before a deal fell apart.
Cooper called on Moore directly to reach an agreement that would require the necessary votes to pass the House.
“Time is running short,” Cooper wrote, “but we can reach an agreement — if Speaker Moore provides leadership to his own caucus.”
HB186 is set to be sent to committee on Monday evening.
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