RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill Thursday afternoon that will effectively repeal House Bill 2.
The Senate and House passed a bill to repeal HB2 earlier in the morning before moving it over to Governor Cooper's desk.
The Senate voted 32-16 in support, shortly after the bill passed the General Assembly.
Governor Roy Cooper has said he supports the measure. His support will soon be proven as the bill, House Bill 142, makes its next and final stop on his desk.
#HB142 passes 3rd reading in senate now on to house #wcnc #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/darfI7uG0M
— Richard DeVayne (@devayneTV) March 30, 2017
#HB142 passes 3rd reading in senate now on to house #wcnc #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/darfI7uG0M
— Richard DeVayne (@devayneTV) March 30, 2017
House Bill 2 has been in place for over a year and was widely seen as an anti-LGBT law. It led to multiple boycotts and economic losses for the Tar Heel State. Some estimates show North Carolina has lost hundreds of millions of dollars since the bill was created.
During a press conference following the House vote, Speaker Tim Moore noted that Charlotte was the city who have felt the economic losses of House Bill 2 the most.
The bill forces transgender individuals to use restrooms and locker rooms in schools and other government buildings that match the gender that’s printed on their birth certificate as well as discriminated gay and transgender people from discrimination protections.
The bill expected to repeal HB2 is House Bill 142. The new repeal effort will leave bathroom regulation up to the state.
NC Senator Jeff Tarte: "I feel HB2 has a 98% chance of being repealed."#wcnc #breaking pic.twitter.com/zMUsSOhmLR
— Richard DeVayne (@devayneTV) March 30, 2017
The move comes just hours ahead of the NCAA deadline which they issued Thursday warning North Carolina on the need to repeal the law or face being outed for the possibility of hosting collegiate athletic championships for the coming six years, something which could cost the Tar Heel state billions of dollars.
Governor Cooper released a statement Wednesday saying, “I support the House Bill 2 repeal compromise that will be introduced tomorrow.” Cooper goes onto say the deal isn’t perfect, but it repeals HB2 and begins to repair the state’s reputation.
House Bill 142 went before the Senate Rules Committee around 9:15 a.m. Thursday. It was passed and then passed two additional votes on the Senate floor during a session scheduled for 11 a.m.
The Governor reportedly cleared his schedule to focus on negotiations for a House Bill 2 repeal. Senate and House leaders burned the midnight oil at the governor’s mansion Wednesday night.