NC Veto Overrides
North Carolina House Overrides Governor Stein's Vetoes on DEI and Immigration Bills
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Key Points
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HB 171, which would outlaw DEI policies in state agencies, also imposes a $10,000 civil penalty per violation and requires regular audits by the state auditor to enforce the ban.
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Two Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Shelly Willingham and Rep. Carla Cunningham, were absent for the floor vote, lowering the three-fifths threshold to 71 votes and allowing the overrides to pass.
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Three of the four overrides—SB 153 (immigration enforcement), SB 227 (DEI in public education), and SB 558 (DEI in public higher education)—had already been overridden by the Senate and are now law; HB 171 remains to be taken up by the Senate for its override.
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All four veto overrides were decided on party lines, with a 71-47 vote margin, reflecting the GOP's narrow control and the absence of key Democrats on the floor.
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The DEI-related measures include specific provisions: DEI bans in classrooms, hiring, and training for public schools and universities, and requirements for state agencies to cooperate with ICE under the immigration-related bill; the higher-ed ban also restricts universities from investigating certain protected-speech scenarios.
North Carolina House Republicans voted 71-47 on June 24 to override four vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein, pushing through bills that ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and tighten immigration enforcement. The overrides succeeded because two Democratic lawmakers were absent, lowering the votes needed to reach the three-fifths threshold from 72 to 71. The Assembly NC reported that three of the four bills — covering immigration and DEI in public schools and universities — are now law.
Stein slammed the timing. "Legislators are stoking the culture wars that divide us rather than fulfilling their long-overdue responsibility of passing a budget," he said. The governor had vetoed all four bills in July 2025, calling them a distraction. Republicans spent nearly a year waiting for the right moment to act.
Two Absences Flipped the Math for Republicans
Under North Carolina law, overriding a veto requires three-fifths of members present. When Reps. Shelly Willingham and Carla Cunningham did not show up for the afternoon floor session, the threshold dropped by one vote — from 72 to 71. That one-vote difference was decisive. Carolina Journal noted that Republicans had been waiting months for exactly this kind of opening.
Both lawmakers had attended committee meetings earlier that day. The Assembly NC reported that Cunningham had recently changed her party registration from Democrat to Unaffiliated after facing backlash from her own party. Both lost their primary races in March 2026. Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) said plainly: "Whenever we have the votes on an override, we're going to take them up."
What Each Bill Actually Does
Senate Bill 153, the "Border Protection Act," requires state law enforcement agencies — including the Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation — to cooperate with ICE. Cities or counties that adopt sanctuary policies now automatically lose governmental immunity, opening them to civil lawsuits. WBT reported the bill builds on a 2024 law that already required sheriffs to honor ICE detainers.
Senate Bills 227 and 558 ban 12 specific "divisive concepts" from classrooms and hiring practices in public K-12 schools and universities. Sponsors cited $3.1 billion in federal K-12 funding and $2.4 billion for higher education as reasons to align state law with federal anti-DEI orders. The university ban also bars schools from investigating student speech labeled as "microaggressions" if it is protected under the First Amendment, according to Daily Tar Heel.
State Agency DEI Ban Still Needs One More Vote
House Bill 171 — the toughest of the four — bans DEI programs in state agencies and hits violators with a $10,000 civil penalty per violation. It also requires the state auditor to run regular audits to enforce the ban. Agencies like the Department of Transportation and the Department of Health and Human Services would have to dismantle DEI staff positions. Spectrum Local News reported the House has cleared the bill but the Senate must still vote to complete the override.
Carolina Journal said Republican leaders expect the Senate to take up HB 171 next week. If the Senate acts, all four measures will be on the books. For now, the three Senate bills — immigration, K-12 DEI, and higher education DEI — are already law.
Democrats Cry Foul Over Rushed, Limited Debate
Republicans capped debate at three minutes per side. House Minority Leader Rep. Robert Reives (D-Chatham) called that a muzzle. He said the DEI bans are "killing opportunities" and warned: "There's not an amount of money you can pay students to go live somewhere that hates them." The Assembly NC described the move as a deliberate "procedural ambush" to prevent Democratic stalling.
The ACLU of North Carolina warned the higher education bill may face First Amendment legal challenges. Meanwhile, supporters like Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) argued the laws restore merit-based governance. "Contracts should be based on merit," Jones said, according to Carolina Journal. All four votes fell strictly along party lines.
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