North Carolina's incoming governor said legislators are planning to hold a special session to repeal a law that limits protections for LGBT people.
Gov.-elect Roy Cooper issued a statement Monday saying that legislators plan to hold the session on HB2 on Tuesday because Charlotte repealed a local nondiscrimination ordinance that Republicans blamed for the statewide law.
The Charlotte City Council met Monday and voted unanimously to repeal the ordinance, which was enacted early this year.
However, the council's move is contingent on North Carolina legislators fully repealing HB2 by Dec. 31.
HB2 requires people to use restrooms in many public buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates and excludes sexual orientation and gender identity from statewide anti-discrimination protections.
Cooper said North Carolina legislators will meet Tuesday to repeal the law. He released the following statement on the vote:
"Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore assured me that as a result of Charlotte's vote, a special session will be called for Tuesday to repeal HB2 in full. I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the Legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full. Full repeal will help to bring jobs, sports and entertainment events back and will provide the opportunity for strong LGBT protections in our state."
"Gov. (Pat) McCrory has always publicly advocated a repeal of the overreaching Charlotte ordinance. But those efforts were always blocked by Jennifer Roberts, Roy Cooper and other Democratic activists," said Graham Wilson, McCrory's press secretary. "This sudden reversal with little notice after the gubernatorial election sadly proves this entire issue originated by the political left was all about politics and winning the governor’s race at the expense of Charlotte and our entire state. As promised, Gov. McCrory will call a special session."
After the vote, the city of Charlotte released a statement as well:
"The city of Charlotte continues its commitment to be a welcoming community that honors and respects all people.
"The Charlotte City Council recognizes the ongoing negative economic impact resulting from the passage of the city's non-discrimination ordinance and the State’s House Bill 2. The council acknowledges that North Carolina House Bill 2 'supersede(s) and pre-empt(s)' the city's ordinance. In order to continue thriving as an inclusive community and compete for high-paying jobs and world-class events, the city and state must take action together to restore our collective reputation.
"During this morning's legislative briefing with the state delegation representing Mecklenburg County, the Charlotte City Council voted to remove the non-discrimination ordinance from the City Code. The city urges the state to follow immediately with a repeal of House Bill 2.
"The city of Charlotte is deeply dedicated to protecting the rights of all people from discrimination and, with House Bill 2 repealed, will be able to pursue that priority for our community. There are many issues that require a positive and collaborative relationship between the city and state. The city pledges commitment to that partnership.
"In addition to removal of the non-discrimination ordinance, the City Council also removed from the City Code the cable TV ordinance (invalidated by the State in 2006) and the business privilege license tax (invalidated by the state in 2014)."
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