The GOP-led North Carolina Legislature is bringing back a trio of bills vetoed by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. Lawmakers aim to override the vetoes of bills aimed at removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from state agencies, public schools, and higher education.
Republican House Majority Leader Rep. Brenden Jones, alongside state Republican Reps. Neal Jackson, Jarrod Lowery, and Blair Eddins introduced the measure (HB 171) that would remove and ban DEI programs from all state agencies. The bill had 44 co-sponsors.
Under the bill, state agencies would be prohibited from promoting, supporting, implementing, or maintaining DEI programs, including using them to hire employees, or offering DEI training to staff.
Penalties for noncompliance would include removal from office or employment, while a willful violation could carry a civil penalty of $5,000 for each violation.
Stein nixed the bill on July 3rd, detailing in his veto message that his administration is focused on building an environment among state employees that creates a positive work environment.
“We make our most effective decisions when there is a diverse set of perspectives around the table,” Stein wrote. “House Bill 171 is riddled with vague definitions yet imposes extreme penalties for unknowable violations. This bill will make it harder for the state government to provide the highest quality of service.”
In the state Senate, President Pro Tempore Republican Sen. Phil Berger introduced anti-DEI legislation aimed at K-12 public schools and higher education — SB 558 and SB 227 — alongside 50 co-sponsors, which Stein also vetoed.
Public institutions of higher education would be prohibited from engaging in or advocating for what language describes as discriminatory practices such as DEI, as well as compelling students, staff, or administrators to affirm or profess belief in “divisive concepts,” according to the bill’s analysis.
SB 227 would prohibit public schools from engaging in similar practices, and would outright ban schools from providing instruction on DEI.
The State Board of Education would further be prohibited from approving, providing, recommending, or requiring professional development that includes or advocates for DEI practices.
“Our diversity is our strength,” Stein wrote of his SB 558 and SB 227’s vetoes. “We should not whitewash history, police dorm room conversations, or ban books. Rather than fearing differing viewpoints and cracking down on free speech, we should ensure our students learn from diverse perspectives and form their own opinion.”
The Senate overturned Stein’s vetoes only weeks later by a vote of 30-19. Meanwhile, HB 171 has yet to have its veto overturned.
Stein had vetoed a flurry of bills, 14 in total, which included provisions on school choice, firearm law revisions, and legislation on criminal undocumented immigrants. Lawmakers have so far managed to overturn eight of Stein’s vetoes.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a press release that Stein’s veto of the measures shows the Governor “has sided with radical activists over the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians who believe in parental rights, biological reality, and protecting women and children.”
Republicans in the House are only one vote from holding a veto-proof supermajority, while Senate Republicans hold a 10-seat majority over their Democratic colleagues — any remaining business could be easily overturned in the Senate, with only a single Democrat needed to cross party lines in the House, according to The Carolina Journal.
All three pieces of legislation have now been added to their respective chamber’s calendars and will be heard on August 26, the last day of North Carolina’s Legislative Session.
