Another effort to repeal North Carolina’s bathroom bill has failed
Another effort to pass legislation to repeal North Carolina’s HB2 bathroom bill has failed.
Late on Tuesday, talks between Democrats and Republicans over an agreement to repeal the bill broke down, reports the Star Tribune.
The Governor of North Carolina earlier in February proposed that a compromise deal should be made to repeal the state’s bathroom bill HB2.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger on Tuesday said they had agreed a plan with Governor Roy Cooper to repeal parts of the bill but leave some provisions intact.
But Berger accused Cooper of backing out of the plan.
The breakdown in talks comes as the NCAA has threatened to pull athletics events out of the state until 2022, if the bill is not repealed.
Some reports suggest that the deadline for North Carolina to still be eligible for the sporting events is Thursday this week.
Meanwhile, Berger and Moore attempted to actually double down on the discriminatory nature of HB2, by increasing protections for those who say they have religious beliefs and discriminate.
Back in February, the leader of the Republican-controlled legislature suggested that Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s compromise didn’t go far enough, noting ‘privacy concerns’ if the law is repealed.
Also in February, proposals to repeal the bill stalled, as Republican legislators and Governor Cooper were unable to agree what powers local government should have to protect LGBT people.
Supporters of the bill’s repeal at the time held a press conference saying that only a total repeal of HB2 would be a suitable outcome.
A separate news conference is expected from those supporting a partial repeal.
Governor Cooper’s proposal would repeal HB2, but would increase penalties for laws broken in public bathrooms.
He announced the compromise at a news conference earlier this year.
As part of the proposal, local ordinances to cover LGBT discrimination would need to be flagged with legislators with 30 days notice.
Legislators in North Carolina last month introduced bills in the House and Senate in the state to repeal the widely condemned HB2 and replace it with LGBT+ protections.
The bills, introduced by Representatives Pricey Harrison, Deb Butler, Kelly Alexander, Susan Fisher and Senators Terry Van Duyn, Mike Woodard, and Jay Chaudhuri, were praised by Equality NC and the Human Rights Campaign.
“My hometown of Greensboro has suffered enormously from economic losses because of HB2, and the potential economic harm from the NCAA pull-out for the next 6 years is even greater.” says Representative Harrison.
“The bill introduced today is a clean repeal of HB2 and provides enhanced statewide non-discrimination protections. This bill reflects North Carolina values, unlike HB2. It is long overdue and we will work our hardest to enact this legislation.”
