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Governor: HB2 Fix Not Perfect But He Supports It
North Carolina's Democratic governor says he's on board with a proposal to end the standoff with Republican legislative leaders over the state's so-called "bathroom bill," saying "it's not a perfect deal" but begins to repair the state's reputation.
Gov. Roy Cooper released the statement Wednesday night about the same time GOP lawmakers unveiled the details of their agreement.
The proposal would repeal the law known as House Bill 2, but it would still leave state legislators in charge of policy on public restrooms. And local governments couldn't pass nondiscrimination ordinances covering things like sexual orientation and gender identity until December 2020.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger say the legislation will be debated and voted on Thursday. It's unclear if the votes are there to pass it.
Judges Won't Delay Confirmation During Appeals, Environmental Chief Up Next
A panel of trial court judges won't delay enforcement of their ruling earlier this month that upheld a new law directing the North Carolina Senate to subject Gov. Roy Cooper's Cabinet secretaries to confirmation hearings and votes.
The three judges denied in a two-sentence order released Wednesday the request by Cooper's private lawyers to halt confirmations by putting the judges' decision on hold while they appeal.
Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Michael Regan is slated Thursday to be the latest member of Gov. Cooper's Cabinet to answer questions. Senate Republicans are likely to question Regan about his previous work with a conservation group.
Former Senator, Ex-GOP Chairman Elected To UNC Board
The North Carolina Senate has elected a recent colleague and a former state Republican Party chairman to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
Former Sen. Bob Rucho of Matthews and Tom Fetzer of Wilmington were among six elected Wednesday to four-year terms on the panel, which oversees the UNC system's 17 campuses.
Rucho served in the Senate over two decades before declining to seek re-election last year. He was an architect of the GOP's tax overhaul laws. Fetzer is a former Raleigh mayor and now a lobbyist.
The four other people chosen are Marty Kokis of Greensboro, Steven Long of Raleigh, Harry Smith Jr. of Greensboro and Randall Ramsey of Beaufort. Kokis, Long and Smith were re-elected.
Effort To Combat North Carolina Opioid Abuse OK'd By House Panel
A comprehensive bipartisan measure designed to decrease opioid abuse and overdoses has been changed but still has cleared a House panel.
The bill approved unanimously Wednesday by the House Health Committee still requires pharmacists to more quickly enter prescription information into a controlled substances database. Doctors would have to review system data to examine a patient's history to prevent overprescribing and also would be limited to giving 5- or 7-day supplies for initial treatment of acute pain.
The measure was amended to remove proposed $20 annual fees on doctors to keep up the system and reduce maximum fines against pharmacists who don't report required information in time.
Duke Energy Sues Insurers Over Coal Ash Cleanup Costs
The largest U.S. electric company says it is suing insurance companies to force them to cover some of its multibillion-dollar costs to clean up the toxic residues left in the Carolinas after decades of burning coal to generate power.
Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. said Wednesday it filed a lawsuit in state court against more than two dozen insurers going back three decades. The utility says the insurers have refused to pay claims that could total hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.