The month of May had times of both rapid movement and unnerving calmness. We started the month with marathon days at the North Carolina General Assembly with the approaching crossover deadline of May 9th. Rep. George Cleveland and his allies tried to move HB 135, a sweeping anti-immigrant bill, quickly through two committees in the House. In both committees we failed to stop the bill by only one vote. Although this may seem frustrating, it is also a testament to the power we have and continue to build with our allies. In the end, HB 135 was sent back to committee and the bill failed to survive crossover.
HB 370, the bill designed to force Sheriffs to collaborate with ICE; however, did survive crossover as the bill had already been voted on in the House. It has not yet been heard in the Senate. The North Carolina Sheriffs Association has updated their legislative proposal to make HB 370 worse. If you have not yet spoken to your Sheriff and Senator to find out their positions on HB 370, act now. You can also still sign our allies’ petition for Governor Cooper to veto the bill if it passes and reaches his desk.
On May 22nd El Pueblo and our allies in the Adelante Coalition held our annual Undocu-graduation event. Our graduation and lobbying day was full of hope, inspiration and courage. We began the day by holding a press conference with the sponsors of House Bill 319 and Senate Bill 615. Both pieces of legislation seek to grant in-state tuition prices for DACA recipients and undocumented youth. Undocumented youth and allies met with a couple of representatives who seem to be open to the idea of pushing bi-partisan legislation around tuition equity. We will keep our community updated as we work with representatives to continue to push for tuition equity!
The General Assembly, however, has been active on two other fronts: abortion and the state budget. Governor Cooper has vetoed Senate Bill 359, a completely unnecessary based on misinformation about abortion, and the Democrats in the House are holding strong in sustaining the veto.
Finally, our representatives are convening to vote on the budget. The budget not only fails to expand Medicaid, but it also includes cuts in funding for Medicaid programs in general and puts health care at risk for our most vulnerable North Carolinians. We stand united with our partners and allies in an effort to expand Medicaid!
Please call your House Representative and Senator to express your opposition to the SB 359, HB 370, and the proposed budget!
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