Governor Cooper Vetos Bill that Would Shift Power from Executive Offices (soon to be held by Democrats)

Raleigh News & Observer reports that Governor Cooper has temporarily halted efforts by the Republican legislature to restructure power in North Carolina to limit the impact of Democratic wins in the state. Republicans have repeatedly overridden Cooper’s vetos during this session, but speculation is that they do not have the votes this time.

NON-HELENE MEASURES IN BILL

  • “Significantly reduce the amount of time voters are given to fix issues with their provisional ballots and require counties to finish counting all provisional ballots on the third day after Election Day, a process that took nearly two weeks this year.
  • Make the the State Highway Patrol into a standalone department, rather than a subset of the N.C. Department of Public Safety, and require the governor’s choice for Highway Patrol commander to be approved by lawmakers.
  • Eliminate the positions of two Superior Court judges after their terms expire, including a Democrat who threw out two amendments to the North Carolina Constitution that voters approved in 2018 — one on voter ID and another to cap the state income tax rate.
  • Require the governor to fill any vacancies on the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals from a list of people recommended by the leaving judge’s political party.
  • Allow donations from corporations, business entities and labor unions to be used to fund legal actions for political parties. Shift control of the state Utilities Commission away from the governor.
  • Require an extra step before the attorney general’s office can intervene in matters before the Utilities Commission, such as cases over how much Duke Energy’s utilities can charge for electricity.
  • Prevent incoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green, a Democrat, from appealing decisions made by the N.C. Charter School Review Board.”

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