Squatters bill to return to NC governor without pet-shop provision
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lawmakers passed anti-squatter bill using Senate Bill 55 after content reshuffle.
- Controversial pet store clause removed after Governor Stein vowed to veto it.
- Animal rights protests influenced removal of pet shop provision from legislation.
With some political maneuvering, legislation to help remove squatters from private property will head back to the governor’s desk — but without a controversial provision stopping local governments from banning or putting more rules on pet shops.
“This legislation originally addressed squatters, and I supported it,” Gov. Josh Stein explained when he vetoed House Bill 96 earlier this month. “This bill would facilitate inhumane puppy mills in North Carolina. Without this provision, I would sign the legislation. With it, I cannot support it.”
On Tuesday, the bill was back on the calendar for a veto override vote. But the legislation related to squatters was instead moved to Senate Bill 55, which both the House and Senate approved Tuesday. The original content of SB 55 regulated students’ cell-phone use during school hours.
“This is the squatters bill that we passed almost unanimously out of this chamber and sent over to the Senate, and, in their wisdom, they messed it up and added a provision that had nothing to do with the squatter provision,” said Rep. Julia Howard, a Republican representing Davie, Rowan and Yadkin counties, who sponsored the bill.
The pet-store provision was added after protests in Raleigh earlier this year. A store that opened in downtown, Petopia, closed after protests, a petition and letter-writing campaign to the Raleigh City Council.
In 2019, North Myrtle Beach became the first municipality in South Carolina to ban the sale of dogs and cats in stores.
Former Myrtle Beach City Council member Nikki Fontana offered to work with Raleigh city leaders to adopt a similar ordinance, and also spoke with Wilmington leaders after residents raised concerns about a boutqiue pet store there last year.
