Governor Cooper Signs Twelve Bills, Vetoes One Bill and Lets One Bill Become Law

Today, Governor Roy Cooper signed the following bills into law:

• Senate Bill 425: HHS Omnibus.
• Senate Bill 303: Various Court Changes.
• Senate Bill 565: Revise Automatic Expunction.
• House Bill 98: Right to Try Individualized Treatments.
• House Bill 591: Modernize Sex Crimes.
• House Bill 593: Various General Local Laws.
• Senate Bill 332: 2023 Appropriations Act Changes.
• Senate Bill 357: Adjustments to the 2023 Appropriations Act.
• Senate Bill 527: ABC Omnibus 2023-24.
• Senate Bill 559: Charter Schools/Pension/ESOP.
• House Bill 250: Public Safety/Other Changes
• Senate Bill 802: C-PACE Program.

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his signing of SB 332:

"This bill simply restates the small pay raises legislators already gave public school teachers last year. The legislature should pay our teachers significantly more as North Carolina has already dropped to 38th in the country in teacher pay and invests nearly $5,000 less per student than the national average. Our state has the resources to make meaningful investments to help our public school students and now is the time to do it."

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his signing of SB 357:

"This legislation provides critical but limited grants to help keep childcare centers open for the next few months. However legislators need to do much more for parents, businesses and children by extending these grants through 2025, investing in our nationally recognized NC Pre-K and investing more in quality early childhood education. Our children's future and our economy depend on it."

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his signing of SB 802:

"The Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (C-PACE) Program will create more opportunities for commercial property owners to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy investments. It is unfortunate that the General Assembly has paired C-PACE with a provision directing the Department of Environmental Quality to request that the Environmental Protection Agency allow the discharge of household wastewater into wetlands, and my administration will express opposition to this provision to the EPA."

Governor Cooper also vetoed the following bill:

• Senate Bill 445: Recording of Court-Filed Documents.

Governor Cooper made the following statement on his veto of SB 445:

"This bill creates legal ambiguity regarding when eviction orders become effective and may harm low-income individuals by making it harder for them to appeal as indigent in small claims court."

Governor Cooper also declined to sign the following bill into law:

• Senate Bill 607: Regulatory Reform Act of 2024.

Governor Cooper declined to sign SB 607 into law and made the following statement:

"This regulatory reform legislation contains some important changes that should become law, however I am not signing this bill because there is a provision where the General Assembly is seeking to interfere with the charter and bylaws of the North Carolina Railroad, a private corporation. This isn't about improving transportation for the people of North Carolina, it's just another unconstitutional power grab by Republicans. Article VIII of the North Carolina Constitution protects private businesses from this type of legislative interference in their internal governance."

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