NC Senate may take override vote Wednesday to make masks in all schools optional
All North Carolina public schools would be mask-optional if Republicans are successful overriding a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
The Senate could vote to override the governor’s veto on Wednesday during its 4:30 p.m. voting session.
Republican Senate leadership, who hold the majority in the chamber, gave Senate Democratic leadership 24 hours’ notice Tuesday of the potential override vote. If successful on Wednesday, the bill could then be voted on by the House on Thursday.
The vast majority of school districts have already lifted school mask mandates or are planning to, after urging from Cooper to lift them once recommendations from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services changed on March 7. The bill passed the same day Cooper made his announcement.
The two largest school districts in the state, Wake County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, lifted their mask mandates as of Monday. Masks are optional for students and staff.
After Cooper vetoed the legislation sponsored by Republican House Speaker Tim Moore, of Kings Mountain, Moore tweeted the next day that “this isn’t over.”
“Looking forward to overriding [Gov. Cooper’s] veto and returning this decision to parents, where it belongs,” Moore said in late February.
The bill, a committee substitute for Senate Bill 173, is titled an “Act to Provide Parental Discretion in Requirements for Face Coverings on Public School Unit Property,” also known as “Free the Smiles” and would make wearing a mask optional for students in all school districts. It would also repeal the state law requiring monthly votes on masks by school boards.
Cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina have dropped precipitously in the past month. Vaccinations are free and readily available across the state to everyone ages 5 and older. Raleigh’s mask mandate ended Feb. 25. Durham’s mandate ended Monday.
When the bill passed the legislature, the House voted 76-42 in favor and the Senate voted 28-17 in favor. Seven Democrats voted with Republicans in the House, and two Democrats voted with Republicans in the Senate, which is enough to override a veto.
The notice of a potential Senate vote on Wednesday doesn’t guarantee a vote will be held. Senate rules call for the leadership to notify the opposing party’s leadership of a potential vote. If the Senate chooses not to call the vote, it could be called again in another session.
The General Assembly is also planning to adjourn its long session that began in 2021. The legislative short session is proposed to begin in May.
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