It's almost as if there wasn't enough happening in North Carolina these days.
The latest out of the Tar Heel State is that there may be a deal in the works to fully repeal H.B. 2, the state's divisive transgender bathroom law.
Gov.-elect Roy Cooper said Monday that the Republican leaders of the state legislature assured him of plans to call a special session tomorrow to scrap the law.
"I hope (the leaders in the legislature) keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full," Cooper, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Full repeal will help to bring jobs, sports and entertainment events back and will provide the opportunity for strong LGBT protections in our state."
Hours before Cooper made the announcement, Charlotte's city council voted unanimously to rescind the LGBT-friendly ordinance that spurred H.B.2's creation.
The stunning turn of events came days after Cooper unsuccessfully tried to fend off an 11th hour attempt by Republican leaders to strip him of some of his powers before he takes office.
Cooper narrowly beat out Republican incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory for the position two weeks ago, which some in Georgia have viewed as a cautionary tale of the dangers of supporting contentious 'religious liberty' legislation.
Cooper ran as a strict opponent to the bathroom law, which restricts which restrooms transgender people can use in government facilities and bans cities from enforcing broader non-discrimination laws and bars local governments from prohibiting discrimination based on sexual preference.
Since the measure’s passage, North Carolina has lost hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business, according to some analysts. The NCAA, NBA and Atlantic Coast Conference sports leagues have all pulled big games from the state.
Georgia faced some of the same threats of boycotts and economic sanctions ahead of Gov. Nathan Deal's veto of the "religious liberty" bill. And after he nixed the legislation, Deal held up North Carolina as a warning.
Read more:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/12/15/in-north-carolina-a-cowardly-power-grab-against-incoming-democratic-governor/
http://politics.blog.myajc.com/2016/12/13/the-fight-over-religious-liberty-is-returning-to-congress/
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/04/13/nathan-deal-its-time-for-another-deep-breath-on-georgias-religious-liberty-debate/
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