On Tuesday, the House Juvenile Justice Committee passed SB 464 with only one Representative voting against the bill. The bill has no opposition and is pretty straight forward, yet the Committee did spend a good deal of time discussing the provision in the bill that requires law enforcement officers to make sure that minor children be placed with an appropriate adult when an adult who is supervising them is arrested.

SB 461 North Carolina Racial Justice Act passed the House Judiciary I Committee this morning. The bill was passed in May by the Senate, but the Senate version included a number of provisions intended to restart executions which are currently on hold due to ongoing litigation. Committee Chair, Representative Ross, Democrat from Wake County, announced that the bill must go to the Appropriation Committee next. There is a fiscal note projecting that the bill will have some cost, though the exact amount cannot be confirmed.

A Bittersweet Victory

On June 25th, the NC House of Representatives voted 60-55 to concur in the Senate's amendments to H 88 Healthy Youth Act, sending the bill on to the Governor. While there are certainly things to celebrate in this bill and it is a major step forward in the fight to get accurate information about contraceptives and staying healthy to students, the ACLU-NC still has serious concerns about the final version of the bill that has reached the Governor's desk.

On the Bright Side

Today, the N.C. House of Representatives passed SB 526 School Violence Prevention Act on 3rd reading (all bills get three readings in each chamber) and sent it on to the Governor's desk. The vote was a tough one which required the Speaker of the House, Joe Hackney to break a tie. However, most importantly, for the first time in N.C.'s history, the legislature has affirmed the equal rights of LGBTQ people in the state by providing that gay, lesbian, and transgender students are as entitled to protection from bullying in school as all other children.

After two hours of debate, SB 526 School Violence Prevention Act passed the House 59-57. If you would like to know how your Representative voted, here's the vote.

HB 88 Healthy Youth Act has been scheduled to be heard by the full Senate today at 11 am. This bill has been scheduled a number of times over the past couple of months, but we have been told that today is the real deal. The Senate will be hearing the heavily amended version of the bill that was passed out of Senate committee last week.

SB 526 School Violence Prevention Act passed the House Judiciary I Committee yesterday and is headed to the House floor for consideration by the full House of Representatives! This bill, which would help put an end to bullying and harassment of all students, has been through many trials and tribulations over the last three years. However, we may be nearing the end - if the bill passes the House, it goes to the Governor's desk.

SB 461 Racial Justice Act Passes House Committee

At this point, even for those who spend their days at the North Carolina General Assembly, it is hard to say what the Senate is doing with HB 88 Healthy Youth Act. Yesterday, the Senate Mental Health and Youth Services Committee took up HB 88, but not in a form anything like what we have seen in the past.

Due to weather, this afternoon's Racial Justice Act Press Conference will be held at 5:30pm at the NC NAACP State office located at 116 W. Parrish St - 5th Floor Conference Room, Downtown Durham (1 block from the Courthouse; above Mechanics & Farmers Bank). Please come and support the Racial Justice Act!