RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Senate Bill 382, promising hurricane relief and changes to power held by state officials, has been vetoed by Gov. Cooper.
“This legislation is a sham. It does not send money to Western North Carolina but merely shuffles money from one fund to another in Raleigh,” Gov. Cooper said in a statement on Tuesday.
SB 382 provides hundreds of millions of dollars in relief money for areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, but it also changes powers reserved for the governor and attorney general. It passed the House on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and the Senate on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
“This legislation was titled disaster relief but instead violates the constitution by taking appointments away from the next Governor for the Board of Elections, Utilities Commission and Commander of the NC Highway Patrol, letting political parties choose appellate judges and interfering with the Attorney General’s ability to advocate for lower electric bills for consumers. Instead of giving small business grants to disaster counties, it strikes a cruel blow by blocking the extension of better unemployment benefits for people who have lost jobs because of natural disasters. Finally, it plays politics by taking away two judges elected by the people and adding two judges appointed by the legislature, taking away authority from the Lieutenant Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction and more,” Gov. Cooper said.
An override from the General Assembly is possible, but not guaranteed, as three Republicans voted against SB 382 when it passed out of the House. Legislators are expected to be back in Raleigh in the beginning of December.
The full text of the bill can be read here:
