McCrory discusses HB2 with Republican legislators in private meeting

Gov. Pat McCrory met privately with Republican legislators Wednesday morning to discuss House Bill 2 and other issues.

The meeting comes amid reports that legislators are considering changes to the controversial LGBT law before the General Assembly adjourns for the year. A draft bill that surfaced Tuesday would restore the ability to sue for employment discrimination in state courts – something McCrory has been pushing legislators to do for months.

McCrory emerged from a small conference room in the legislative office building with Senate leader Phil Berger, then both men entered a larger room where House and Senate Republicans were meeting. Applause could be heard from the room a few minutes later.

The governor left the meeting after about 50 minutes, but it was still under way without him around 12:30 p.m. “We had positive dialogue,” McCrory told reporters as he walked out.

The meeting went on for another half hour or so. Afterward, House Speaker Tim Moore said, “We had a great caucus; talked about a number of issues.”

He declined to discuss specifics. Other issues pending as the session draws to a conclusion in the coming days include approving the budget, and whether the House will go along with the coal ash regulation bill that the Senate and administration unveiled Tuesday.

Some lawmakers have said that changes to HB2 could be considered before the General Assembly adjourns this week or next. But GOP leaders have been tight-lipped about what changes might be in the works. Many of them have stressed that they’re unwilling to drop the law’s best-known provision, which requires transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificates while in government facilities.

Opponents of HB2, meanwhile, say that only a full repeal of the law will restore the state’s reputation and end economic damage from companies and others who view the law as discriminatory.

It’s unclear if Wednesday’s meeting involves the draft legislation that was leaked to media on Tuesday. LGBT advocates were quick to criticize the draft changes, which include the creation of a “certificate of sex reassignment” for transgender people who have gender reassignment surgery and want to use a bathroom that doesn’t match their birth certificate.

“Anyone who cares about equality must reject this ridiculous proposal out of hand,” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said in a news release. “This despicable bill would continue insidious policies targeting LGBTQ people for discrimination and do nothing to fix the mess HB2 created.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, no draft bills addressing HB2 had been discussed in the House GOP caucus, House Majority Leader Mike Hager told a reporter at the time.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 11:51 AM with the headline "McCrory discusses HB2 with Republican legislators in private meeting."