Governor Roy Cooper (D) vetoed two bills from Oct. 2-8. The two bills are below:
NC H600, would have amended state laws related to state and local government, agriculture, energy, environment, natural resources, and other various regulations.
- Cooper said, “This bill is a hodgepodge of bad provisions that will result in dirtier water, discriminatory permitting and threats to North Carolina’s environment. It also undoes a significant policy to promote fairness in state contracting for historically underutilized businesses as it blocks efforts to encourage diverse suppliers for state purchases, rules that would save taxpayer dollars and help businesses grow. The rules mirror the successful approach used for 18 years in state construction contracting and they were enacted with extensive feedback from state agencies and vendors and they were approved by the Rules Review Commission, which has all of its members appointed by the Republican controlled legislature.”
- Representative Jeff Zenger (R), one of the bill’s sponsors, said, “House Bill 600 is a good-faith effort to help reduce the regulatory burden on North Carolinians and their businesses. I am disappointed that Governor Cooper has sided with radical, environmentalist, job crushing bureaucrats over the people of North Carolina.”
- The North Carolina House voted 72-38 to approve the bill on Sept. 21. The North Carolina Senate voted 25-16 to approve the bill on Sept. 22. The House and Senate voted 77-38 and 30-18, respectively, to override the veto on Oct. 10. Representative Dennis Riddell (R) introduced the legislation on April 13, 2023.
