The North Carolina General Assembly officially reconvened this week, gaveling in on Monday, July 29, and adjourning again on Thursday, August 1. While the Senate did not take up any legislation this week, House legislators did return for a one-day voting session Wednesday morning to hold override votes on three of the five bills that were vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper (D) following the legislature’s adjournment in June. Because the chamber in which a bill originated is responsible for the initial override vote, the House took action on the three House bills that were vetoed but will have to wait to act on the two Senate bill vetoes. In accordance with the legislature’s adjournment resolution, both chambers will reconvene next on Monday, September 9 at noon.
Veto Overrides
While House lawmakers were back in Raleigh this week, the Republican-controlled chamber took the opportunity to override three of Governor Cooper’s vetoes Wednesday morning.
HB 155: Title for Off-Road Veh./Low Speed Veh. Insp. would allow the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a certificate of title for all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles, expand the streets or highways on which a modified utility vehicles may be legally operated, and authorize the off-site safety inspection of low-speed vehicles by licensed safety inspection stations. HB 155 passed the Senate in June in a 33-16 vote and passed the House in a 92-12 vote, receiving bipartisan support in both chambers. In his veto message, Governor Cooper cited concerns about a lack of safety features in modified utility vehicles compared to traditional vehicles. The House voted to override the Governor’s veto in a bipartisan 73-41 vote.
HB 556: Tenancy in Com./E-Notary/SmallClaims Changes would codify common law rules governing concurrent ownership of real property as tenants in common, extend the expiration dates on emergency video notarizations and emergency video witnessing to July 1, 2025, amend confidentiality and geolocation technology requirements in the notary public laws, prohibit cities and counties from adopting ordinances or resolutions that prohibit source of income disclosure to rental housing providers, clarify authorized litigation costs in summary ejectment matters, provide that a judgment in a small claim action can be rendered electronically by the magistrate, and would begin the appeal period in a small claim action when judgment is rendered by the magistrate.
HB 556 originally passed the Senate with a 36-6 vote and the House with a 74-39 vote, both with bipartisan support. In the Governor’s veto message, Governor Cooper argued that the bill would make it harder for low-income families to find affordable rental housing and creates legal ambiguity regarding when eviction orders become effective. House lawmakers voted to override the Governor’s veto in a bipartisan 74-40 vote.
HB 690: No Centrl Bank Digital Currency Pmts to State – would prohibit a state agency or the General Court of Justice from accepting a payment using central bank digital currency, or from participating in any test of central bank digital currency by any Federal Reserve Branch. HB 690 passed both chambers with bipartisan support – 39-5 in the Senate and 109-4 in the House. Governor Cooper vetoed the bill citing concerns in his veto message about the legislation being premature and reactionary when, at the federal level, efforts are being made to ensure standards and safeguards are in place to protect consumers. The House voted to override the Governor’s veto in a bipartisan 73-41 vote.
All three bills will now make their way back over to the Senate, where chamber will also have to vote to override the Governor’s vetoes before the bills can officially become law.
Upcoming Legislative Meetings
Currently, there are no legislative committee meetings scheduled for next week.