Listen Live Now: North Carolina Lawmakers Vote on Bill to Void All LGBT Nondiscrimination Ordinances

The North Carolina General Assembly Is Voting Today on a Horrifically Anti-Gay Bill

Right now lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly are meeting for one purpose and one purpose only. They have convened a special session – they were not scheduled to return to the statehouse until April 25 – to pass a bill voiding all local LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances. 

The move is a direct assault on the state’s LGBT community, but not only the LGBT community. 

Lawmakers did not make any public announcements that they would allow public comment on the bill, as is standard operating procedure in every state, especially when taking up controversial bills. They finally allowed only 30 minutes of public comment.

They have also not posted the text of the bill.

At 12:15 PM EDT, they are scheduled to take up the bill. There’s every reason to assume they will pass it, and that Republican Gov. Pat McCrory will sign  it.

In addition to voiding all local NDOs, the bill, HB2, effectively tells all localities within the Tar Heel State that any law or ordinance they pass is subject to the whims of the Republican majority in the General Assembly. 

RELATED: North Carolina Lawmakers To Ban All LGBT Nondiscrimination Ordinances In Response To Charlotte

It also mandates that all public accommodation laws are made only by the General Assembly, all employment nondiscrimination laws are made only by the General Assembly, and all minimum wage laws are made only by the General Assembly.

You can listen live at the NC General Assembly’s website, and find out more about the bill and why they’ve convened a special session.

 

Stay with NCRM throughout the day as we publish the latest news on this legislation. And please follow us on Twitter and Facebook!