Under the Dome: NC House fast-tracks new antisemitism legislation

Good morning! ☀️ Here’s what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.

The House approved the adoption of a new definition of antisemitism under state law and it appears to be something lawmakers in both parties agree on. House Bill 942 passed with a near-unanimous vote on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.

And it’s National Teacher Appreciation Week, so lawmakers are using it to draw attention to schools. Here’s what you need to know. — Stephanie Loder, correspondent

NC House fast-tracks new antisemitism bill

The Shalom Act received bipartisan support Wednesday as it moved through the North Carolina House, a first step that state lawmakers say is needed to define examples of antisemitism that shouldn’t be permitted.

While critics argued the bill could affect protected speech, specifically criticisms of Israel, lawmakers from both parties who supported House Bill 942 rejected the idea that it would hinder free speech.

The bill, spearheaded by House Speaker Tim Moore, was taken up on the House floor Wednesday afternoon after clearing a committee that same morning.

The bill passed 105-4 with Democratic Reps. Pricey Harrison, Nasif Majeed, Marcia Morey and Renée Price voting against it.

Get the full story from Avi Bajpai and Kyle Ingram here.

How NC lawmakers lined up in vote to remove Johnson

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has been threatening to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson and Wednesday night, she made her move. She brought forward a motion to vacate the speakership.

But Democrats joined with Republicans in helping Johnson keep his job. That included all but one of North Carolina’s representatives.

Danielle Battaglia in Washington has more on the ongoing power struggles in D.C.

Democrats test new powers of secret Gov Ops

Democrats on the General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations (Gov Ops) want to know why they are being denied answers to their questions about crisis pregnancy centers and private schools that get state funding.

Here’s what we know:

• Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue told reporters Wednesday that Democrats’ requests have been denied.

• Sen. Gladys Robinson, a Guilford County Democrat on Gov Ops, was denied records regarding contracts, expenditures and medical equipment she requested from several Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship pregnancy centers, also known as Life Link Carolina.

• Paul “Skip” Stam, a former Republican House member, said he denied Robinson’s request because it came from members of the commission rather than Gov Ops as a whole. Attorney Barry Moerschell, who represented another pregnancy center group, Human Coalition, responded similarly to Robinson’s request. He wrote that since the commission didn’t issue the request, “Human Coalition respectfully declines to provide the requested records.”

Gov Ops House Majority staff Director Joe Coletti said Wednesday he doesn’t know of any individual requests made by House members of Gov Ops. The letters from Robinson and others, he said, are the first ones to be brought to his attention.

Get the full story from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan here.

Children’s Bill of Rights

Democrats held a news conference Wednesday at the General Assembly to present what they called a Children’s Bill of Rights and brought three public school students in Triangle elementary, middle and high schools to talk about what they want from school — ranging from feeling safe to having a school counselor to on-time buses.

The list on the Children’s Bill of Rights included the right to high quality child care and early-childhood education; inclusive and accountable public schools; safe and healthy environments; excellent teachers; supportive principals; nutritious food and access to mental heath services.

Rep. Julie von Haefen, an Apex Democrat, told reporters that the legislature should be more focused on “the common good” and spend more time listening to children. Von Haefen also criticized Republicans’ plan to spend hundreds of millions more dollars to respond to demand for private school tuition vouchers, known as the Opportunity Scholarship program.

Erin Lea, a junior in the Orange County Public School System, talked about what she’s learned and the opportunities she’s had in her school, and said she wants students statewide to have the same opportunities. She also advocated for higher teacher pay and education funding.

— Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan

AAPI Advocacy Day at the General Assembly

Members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities held their third annual AAPI advocacy day at the Legislative Building on Wednesday.

During a press conference, advocates joined Democratic lawmakers in laying out a number of issues they said were of critical importance to AAPI communities, including protecting exceptions to voter ID and language access on ballots, calling for an independent redistricting commission, and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Chavi Khanna Koneru, the executive director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together, said it’s also important to push back against controversial immigration enforcement legislation that Republican lawmakers have been trying to pass since 2019.

House Bill 10 passed the Senate last week, and is expected to be taken up by the House soon.

Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Charlotte Democrat, said that for a fast-growing segment of the state’s population and electorate, it’s important for Asian Americans to be represented in government.

“Growing up in North Carolina, unfortunately, I never saw elected officials that looked like me, or spoke like me, worshiped like me, or had a similar culture,” Mohammed said.

Now, serving his third term as a state senator, Mohammed said, “I can tell you when I speak to fellow Asian Americans, when I talk to African American children, when I talk to our Latin American community, they are in awe when they see elected officials that relate to them, that understand their background, that understand their struggle.”

— Avi Bajpai

House Democrats hire new communications director

The House Democratic Caucus announced Wednesday that it had appointed Joy Cook, a longtime public relations professional, as its new communications director.

“With her unparalleled proficiency in crisis communications and strategic planning, Cook will be an indispensable catalyst in shaping the party’s compelling narrative and forging formidable alliances with influential stakeholders,” Amanda Eubanks, the executive director of the Democratic House Caucus, said in a press release.

Cook most recently served as CEO of Trust Communications, a crisis management and public relations firm she founded. She also recently served as the chief communications officer for Fayetteville State University.

“I look forward to working closely with the talented team of legislators and staff to effectively communicate our party’s priorities and engage with the people of North Carolina,” Cook said in the press release. “Together, we will ensure that our message resonates with the public and drives positive change for our state.”

— Kyle Ingram

That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.

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