RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina House approved legislation Wednesday that would implement stricter criminal penalties for rioting, sending the controversial bill that critics have called “racist” to the Senate.
After more than an hour and a half of debate, including the adoption of some last-minute amendments, House Bill 40 was approved 75-43 in a mostly party-line vote, but with six House Democrats voting in favor of the bill, including some members of the Legislative Black Caucus.
State Rep. Shelly Willingham, a primary sponsor of the legislation, and state Rep. Michael Wray, both of whom voted for a previous iteration of the bill in August 2021 that was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper, voted in favor of it again. State Reps. Abe Jones, Garland Pierce, Cecil Brockman, and Laura Budd also voted in favor of the bill.
