Cooper keeps pressure on for HB2 repeal vote

State lawmakers return Wednesday to start their work for 2017, their first session sharing Raleigh with the Cooper administration. The News & Observer takes a look at four people and five issues that will matter this year. Get to know Dale Folwell, Darren Jackson, Bill Rabon and Sarah Stevens. Find out what the General Assembly could consider on taxes, election law, teacher and principal pay, House Bill 2 and Hurricane Matthew relief. And learn more about how the legislative process works.

Gov. Roy Cooper continues to push for repeal of the controversial law known as House Bill 2 that limits LGBT protections.

An attempt to repeal HB2 fell apart in a special legislative session before Christmas.

The law requires transgender people to use bathrooms in government buildings that correspond to the gender on their birth certificates. It also puts restrictions on local non-discrimination ordinances.

Cooper maintains that there are enough votes in both chambers to repeal the law, but groups that support socially conservative causes are determined to keep it in place. Earlier this month, Republican House Speaker Tim Moore predicted there would be a compromise.

This story was originally published January 21, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Cooper keeps pressure on for HB2 repeal vote."