North Carolina lawmakers consider constitutional amendments and other bills as their session ends

Dozens of bills are being considered Wednesday in the North Carolina Legislature, as lawmakers consider putting constitutional amendments on the November ballot, overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes and other issues before taking a summer vacation.

Here’s a look at what’s happening:

Voters could decide on new constitutional amendments

Republicans in the House of Representatives want political parties to help fill vacancies in some statewide elected offices.

Currently, the governor can appoint a replacement when officials like the state treasurer or attorney general do not complete their terms. Rep. Kyle Hall, R-Stokes, said the current process could conflict with what voters want, and he wants to put a constitutional amendment to voters this fall.

“I think the voters of North Carolina are electing not only one person, but also a political party to fill this position, which would give the political party the opportunity to nominate three people and the governor would have to choose one of the three people” , Hall said.

In addition to the nomination change, the House Rules Committee also approved a proposed amendment that only citizens can vote in North Carolina. It’s already written into state law, but it’s an amendment Senate leaders also want to see on the November ballot.

The Senate also wants an amendment to lower the top income tax rate to 5% and amend constitutional voter ID requirements to clarify that photo IDs are also required to vote by mail. House Speaker Tim Moore said he wasn’t sure his chamber would support the tax amendment. The Senate has not yet scheduled a floor vote on its trio of proposed amendments.

Cocktail deliveries could become legal again

Cocktail takeout and delivery could return to North Carolina thanks to a bill introduced in the House.

When restaurants and bars were closed or restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state temporarily allowed them to serve alcoholic beverages in to-go cups and through delivery services like DoorDash.

But that change was temporary and ended with the lifting of the state of emergency. A House bill would allow the practice again.

It’s part of a broader alcohol bill that would also allow liquor stores to open on certain holidays like the Fourth of July and Labor Day. But it would not allow local ABC boards to open their stores on Sundays, which was part of an earlier version of the bill passed by the Senate.

The House also does not include a Senate proposal to allow happy hour drink specials in North Carolina. Also in the House version: a proposal to allow ABC stores to sell gift cards, an effort to allow the sale of alcohol at pickleball clubs and a plan to allow airport visitors to take takeout with them alcoholic drinks purchased at a bar inside the terminal.

Still no budget agreement

In a sign that House and Senate leaders are no closer to agreement on how to spend a billion-dollar revenue surplus, the House has introduced two simple spending bills for the fiscal year beginning next week.

The goal is to avoid losing unspent funds in the absence of an appropriate budget bill. “It’s just about making sure that federal funds don’t go back to the federal government,” said Rep. Jason Saine, Republican of Lincoln.

The latest version of Senate Bill 357 also appears to include a temporary lifeline for child care centers facing the loss of federal COVID-19 subsidies. It has an allocation of $8.25 million “to provide grants at a reduced level” for the next few months. That’s a far cry from the roughly $130 million for child care included in the House and Senate budgets.

Supporters of daycare funding from the Poor People’s Campaign group staged a protest outside Parliament on Wednesday to demand full funding to prevent daycares from closing, and some protesters were arrested following a noise complaint.

Another spending bill introduced in the House on Wednesday was described as a “technical” measure aimed at ensuring teachers get scheduled raises included in last year’s budget. This bill does not include additional increases or funding for private school vouchers.

Anti-Semitism Bill Returns

After taking no action on the House bill for weeks, the Senate is moving forward with an anti-Semitism bill backed by House Speaker Tim Moore.

The bill calls for North Carolina to join other states in using a definition created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. This definition includes several types of criticism against Israel as examples of anti-Semitism.

“I firmly believe it is the responsibility of the General Assembly to protect our citizens from hatred and bigotry,” said Sen. Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck. “The ‘SHALOM Act’ does just that, without diminishing or infringing on the rights protected by the North Carolina or United States Constitutions.”

New Face for UNC Board of Governors

A Senate committee confirmed the Republican choice to fill a seat on the UNC Board of Governors. Kathryn Greeley is a Waynesville interior designer who currently serves on the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees.

Once confirmed, she will fill the seat vacated by former board member Lee Roberts, who left his position to serve as interim chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill.