NC Senate could take up Gov. Josh Stein’s immigration and gun bill vetoes Tuesday
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- NC Senate may vote this week to override Gov. Stein’s vetoes on two key bills
- SB 50 permits concealed carry without a permit; SB 153 mandates ICE cooperation
- GOP holds Senate supermajority, eyes absences or support to secure House votes
State lawmakers are expected to begin the effort to override Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes of two major immigration and gun bills as early as Tuesday.
That’s when the two measures, Senate Bill 50 and Senate Bill 153, could receive the first of two required override votes in the Senate.
A top Republican leader in the Senate notified the leader of Senate Democrats on Sunday evening of the GOP’s intention to vote to override Stein’s vetoes on Monday or Tuesday.
The email from Senate Rules Committee Chairman Bill Rabon to Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch, a copy of which was obtained by The News & Observer, stated that the Senate “may consider the Governor’s vetoes of the below bills during Monday’s 7 p.m. voting session. If those vetoes are not taken up on Monday, they may be considered at the voting session on Tuesday of this week.”
Override votes were not added to the calendar on Monday. After session, Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters that the timing of votes will depend on when all lawmakers are present.
“We’ve noticed for tomorrow; I don’t know who’s going to be here, who’s not going to be here,” Berger said. “My hope is that we have all Republicans here and all Democrats here, and at that point we will take a vote. If that’s not the case, we may not take a vote tomorrow if we don’t have the numbers.”
Stein, a Democrat, vetoed the bills Friday, along with a third bill also dealing with immigration and local and state cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
SB 50, named “Freedom to Carry NC,” would allow anyone in the state above 18 to carry a concealed handgun without obtaining a permit. The concealed carry permit, issued by sheriff’s offices after an application process that includes an 8-hour safety training and a background check, is currently required by law.
The other measure, SB 153, would require state law enforcement agencies to enter cooperation agreements with ICE.
Specifically, the “North Carolina Border Protection Act” would direct the departments of Adult Correction and Public Safety, as well as the State Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation, to participate in the federal 287(g) program. The program allows state and local authorities to carry out immigration enforcement under training and supervision by ICE. More than a dozen North Carolina sheriff’s offices are participating in the program as well.
Overriding vetoes requires a three-fifths majority, also known as a supermajority, in both chambers.
Republicans currently control a supermajority in the Senate, but are one seat short in the House, which means they need at least one Democrat to join them in voting to break a veto. They can also exploit absences among Democrats, which would lower the threshold the GOP needs to meet.
The third bill Stein vetoed, House Bill 318, makes revisions to House Bill 10, the ICE cooperation law Republicans enacted last year over former Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto.
Since it originated in the House, the lower chamber will need to hold the first of the two required override votes.
HB 318 was the only bill of the three Stein vetoed on Friday that garnered any Democratic support, with Rep. Carla Cunningham of Charlotte joining Republicans as the sole Democrat to vote for the bill.
Cunningham, who also joined Republicans in voting to override Cooper’s veto of HB 10 last year, told freelance journalist Bryan Anderson last week that her vote on HB 318 “won’t change” during an override effort.
House Speaker Destin Hall previously told The N&O he expected Cunningham to likely vote in favor of overriding a veto if Stein were to block the bill.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 7:52 PM.
