Last week, members of the North Carolina legislature met for the first time at the state capitol as the legislative session began. State Republicans enter his 2023 with a supermajority without veto in the Senate and a seat short of her in the House. Republicans have already started to take advantage of that advantage, creating rules that allow Republicans to vote to overturn vetoes without prior notice. The biggest items on the docket for 2023 are:
abortion
The issue of access to abortion will undoubtedly receive the most attention at this year’s session. Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling over the summer, states across the country began adopting more restrictive abortion laws. In North Carolina, a federal judge reinstated his 20-week ban in August 2022.
Republicans in the House and Senate are reportedly working on a proposal to ban abortion after the 13th week of pregnancy, but allow exceptions in cases of rape and incest. vowed to veto abortion restrictions that were passed. But if even one Democrat in the House votes for him, the bill cannot be vetoed. Congressional leaders believe the potential is very real.
These provisions are not as extreme as most laws passed last year, but they will have dire consequences for those seeking abortions. In North Carolina, very few abortions are performed after the first trimester, and most second or third trimester abortions must address the health of the parent or fetus. Most evidence indicates that criminalization does not prevent abortion from occurring, and health care experts believe that the legal framework of prohibition only puts patients at greater risk during otherwise safe procedures. I warn you that
Expansion of Medicaid
Republican Senate and House leaders have pledged to make Medicaid expansion part of Congress this year after both houses failed to reach consensus on details in 2022. activity.
Expanding the program will reach an estimated 621,000 low-income North Carolina residents. This is a particularly powerful development for college students. Studies show that Medicaid expansion is associated with overall improvements in quality of care, health outcomes, state economic growth, and lower mortality rates.
medical marijuana
Another agenda item that the General Assembly failed to cross the line in 2022 and will be reconsidering is the legalization of medical marijuana. North Carolina is one of her 13 states that have yet to legalize medical use of marijuana, despite overwhelming public support. The Compassionate Care Act entered Congress in 2021 and passed the Senate last year, but stalled in the House. Cooper believes the General Assembly will take up the issue again in this session and it could become law.
While this potential development is good news for North Carolina, the state still lags far behind the rest of the country. Twenty-one states have already legalized recreational marijuana, and more are grappling with the issue. Partial decriminalization in North Carolina does not reflect the will of residents, a majority of whom support full legalization. Overturning the history of draconian marijuana laws and practices in the United States is one of the smartest and most pressing political priorities of our generation. State legislators who oppose these measures are out of step with the 21st century.
sports betting
One of the more interesting sagas at the General Assembly is the proposed legalization of sports gambling. A bill to legalize the practice he narrowly defeated in 2022, but lawmakers have already pledged to reintroduce the law in parliament this year.
Similar to marijuana use, sports gambling is already widespread in North Carolina. The industry has been booming in the state’s underground for years. If you make friends with someone in your fraternity, you will be offered promotions by their bootleg bookmakers. It not only has the potential to create, but also allows for formal oversight to regulate the practices of gamblers.
The issues our legislatures choose to address show how politics can directly affect the lives of everyday people. By staying informed about their activities, the NC State community can absorb, react and play a role in the process. The Republican majority will do some good in producing efficiency and results, but it will also do bad for the policies they choose to pursue.
