Top Republicans and Democrats join forces to promote fatherhood in NC
The Senate took the first of two votes to pass its version of the state budget Wednesday, turning back most of the more than two dozen amendments from Democrats — and even defeating one from a Republican. The final vote is expected today at 9:30 a.m.
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Caitlyn Yaede.
Up first, Avi Bajpai reports on a bipartisan effort to support fathers across the state.
In the middle of a busy week at the General Assembly, top Republicans and Democrats dedicated time on Wednesday to show their support for a nationwide initiative that stresses the importance of fatherhood.
Lawmakers in the House introduced legislation earlier this month to open more chapters in North Carolina of the “All Pro Dads” fatherhood program that has grown across the country since it was launched in 1997 by Family First, a nonprofit based in Tampa.
The program has more than 1,400 chapters at schools nationwide, including 73 in North Carolina right now. The chapters meet once a month and, according to its website, “provide an opportunity for dads to spend quality time with their children before school to strengthen their relationship” and “walk through different topics that invoke meaningful conversations.”
Rep. David Willis, the Union County Republican who is leading the effort to further expand the program in the state, said that kids growing up in single-parent homes without their fathers, is “one of the biggest issues our country is facing.”
“We’ve had generations of breakdown of the nuclear family, and it’s caused us significant problems,” Willis said. “And this goes across demographic lines, racial lines, economic lines; this touches every part of this country.”
The other primary sponsors joining Willis on House Bill 780 are the three most powerful Republicans in the House: Speaker Destin Hall, House Majority Leader Brenden Jones, and Rules Committee Chairman John Bell.
A number of Democrats signed onto the bill, too, including House Minority Leader Robert Reives, Democratic Whip Amos Quick, and Reps. Garland Pierce, Shelly Willingham and Zack Hawkins.
Reives said it’s well-documented that a father’s absence will negatively impact his child in several ways, including by making it more likely that a child will grow up in poverty or suffer from substance abuse. Conversely, he said, kids with involved fathers “are more likely to succeed academically, avoid substance abuse, and thrive economically and socially.”
The Democratic leader said it’s important for fathers to be “present, not perfect.” He said that’s one of the pieces of advice he’s given to younger fathers, “that nobody’s expecting anything of you but to love that child, to take care of them.”
HB 780 would give Family First $2 million to expand its “All Pro Dads” program in the state, including by increasing the number of chapters in North Carolina schools, and holding events “that encourage father-child engagement and foster improved communication between children and fathers.”
The bill would also give $2 million to the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with a nonprofit to launch a program called “Responsible Fatherhood NC.” The program would include a statewide media campaign to increase awareness of the “importance of fathers being involved in their children’s lives” and resources for fathers wanting to get more involved.
Another $1 million would be allocated for DHHS to award grants to community-based organizations that help fathers find employment, manage child support obligations, transition out of a period of incarceration, access health care, understand child development and enhance their parenting skills, or provide “evidence-based education specifically for fathers.”
— Avi Bajpai
HOUSE PASSES BILL RESTRICTING FLAGS ON GOVERNMENT PROPERTY
House Republicans passed a bill limiting what flags can be displayed on public property as Democrats criticized it as overly broad and limiting free speech rights.
“When a North Carolina citizen visits a government property, the property should be neutral,” Rep. Brian Echevarria, a Cabarrus County Republican and the bill’s sponsor, said. “So neutral that visiting citizens shouldn’t even notice, allowing them to be confident that their government will serve them regardless of their political or social beliefs.”
House Bill 244 would state that only official governmental flags could be displayed, meaning that LGBTQ+ pride flags or political campaign flags would be banned on most government-owned property.
Historical displays at museums and war reenactments are exempted from the ban, but the bill does not list any other exceptions.
Democrats said the bill goes too far and isn’t clear on exactly what circumstances it applies to.
Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, noted that she keeps a pride flag on her desk and has a transgender pride sticker on her laptop — both of which, she said, appear to violate the bill.
“I just think this is a dangerous path we’re going down to ban people’s ability to self-express,” she said.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
The House also passed a bill giving lawmakers more authority over health and environmental rules, taking power away from state agency experts. Read our story from Dawn Vaughan on why the move has some health officials concerned.
— Kyle Ingram
REALITY CHECK: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BALLOT CURING IN THE NC SUPREME COURT RACE
As many as 1,675 ballots could be under review in the state Supreme Court race, the State Board of Elections said in legal filings on Tuesday.
Guidance from the board outlines plans for a court-ordered 30-day review, or cure period, for the remaining challenged ballots, Kyle Ingram reports. A 734-vote margin separated Republican Jefferson Griffin and Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs in November’s election, and has sparked a five-month legal contest by Griffin.
The scope of this review announced on Tuesday is much smaller than the 65,000 ballots initially challenged by Griffin, and includes 1,409 military and overseas voters from Guilford County who Griffin says did not submit a photo ID or photo ID exception.
The state elections board says Guilford is the only county where Griffin submitted a challenge by the deadline to file an election protest.
The cure period will also include 266 so-called “Never Residents” — adult children of North Carolina residents, living abroad.
Voters can check this list to see if their ballot is among those challenged. While it is unclear when the cure process will begin, affected voters will receive notice on how to remedy their ballots.
The board says it will wait until after it conducts its own review of the challenged ballots to begin the cure period, and courts could also intervene to delay or block it.
While the outcome of the race is still uncertain, Riggs’ path to victory is much more likely with far fewer ballots in jeopardy.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PULLS PAULI MURRAY CENTER FUNDING
More than $300,000 in federal funding has been pulled from Durham’s Pauli Murray Center for Historical and Social Justice following Donald Trump’s orders to cut “unnecessary” parts of the government, Kristen Johnson reports.
Named for the civil rights activist and Durham native, the center provides community resources and shares the work of Murray, who fought for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. They were also the first Black person to graduate with a doctorate from Yale Law School.
According to a letter sent to the center’s director, Angela Thorpe Mason, on Friday, the work of the center “no longer serves the interest of the United States.” The Institute of Museum and Library Services pulled a $330,800 grant that would have benefited community programs and an eighth-grade curriculum to teach students about Murray.
The grant would have made up 20% of the center’s 2026 funding.
This comes after a webpage about Murray was pulled by the National Park Service last month, following an executive order to only recognize male and female genders.
“In this moment, it has become even more crystallized that our work matters,” Mason said. She said the center will look toward Durham’s private sector and the state for future funding.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
The House passed a Republican-sponsored bill making it possible to sue schools for the content of library books. The “Promoting Wholesome Content for Students” bill would ban books with sexual activity or that are “pervasively vulgar” from school libraries. Parents or residents could seek up to $5,000 in damages per violation. T. Keung Hui has the details.
The Senate-passed version of the budget would eliminate toll-free ferry rides in North Carolina, Richard Stradling reports. Mooresville Republican Sen. Vickie Sawyer says the state needs the additional revenue, citing several projects delayed by the N.C. Department of Transportation due to funding shortages. This measure would impact four of the state’s seven car ferries on the coast that have remained free for decades.
In 2018, North Carolina voters amended the state constitution to expand victims’ rights. But, following recent events in Durham County, some victims say they do not feel respected or heard by prosecutors. Alleged violations include failure to give victims notice of changes in their case, not informing victims of their rights and not allowing victims to deliver impact statements — all required by the 2018 amendment. Virginia Bridges has the full story.
Today’s newsletter was by Caitlyn Yaede, Avi Bajpai, and Kyle Ingram. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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