Statement on Governor McCrory’s Vetoes

As you know, Governor Pat McCrory recently vetoed two bills passed by the N.C. General Assembly:  HB 392 (Warrant Status/Drug Screen Public Assistance) and HB 786 (Reclaim NC Act).  Below are my positions on these two vetoes (click on the links below to view the bills):

HB 392 (Warrant Status/Drug Screen Public Assistance):  I intend to vote to override this veto.  I believe that those receiving benefits should be subject to a criminal background check to determine if they are a fleeing felon.  If there is a reasonable suspicion of drug use, I believe those receiving benefits should be subject to a drug test to decrease the chances that they are using their benefits to purchase illegal drugs.

HB 786 (Reclaim NC Act).  I voted against this bill when it passed the House, and I intend to vote to sustain the Governor’s veto.  I believe this bill opens up too many loopholes in the eVerify system.  The bill was initially intended to be agriculture-specific, but the final version went beyond the original intent.  The bill is too broad, and I believe we can do a better job with a future bill that deals with these immigration-related issues (as an aside, these issues would be much easier to handle if the federal government would do its job and secure our borders).

I anticipate that we will meet the first week in September to vote on possible overrides to these vetoes.