VOLUME 8 ISSUE 11
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2023
Strawberries and smiles Festival goers celebrate the annual North Carolina Strawberry Festival in Chadbourn. The annual event features a parade, carnival rides and plentiful samples of North Carolina strawberries. Read more about the event in A4. PJ WARD-BROWN | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
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North Carolina’s abortion bill sets up high-profile veto override fight
BRIEF this week
NBA commissioner, Air Force commander among spring university commencement speakers Durham Spring commencement speakers for North Carolina’s colleges and universities annually deliver heartfelt comments and advice for the thousands of graduates ready to receive their diplomas in front of family and friends. This year’s list includes NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who returns to Duke University to deliver their annual address on May 14. Silver is a 1984 graduate of the school. At NC State’s spring commencement, which took place on Saturday, May 6, Gen. Anthony J. Cotton delivered the address to 2023 graduates. Cotton is a Wolfpack alum and serves as the commander of United States Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Bryan Stevenson, an attorney and executive director of the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative, will deliver the keynote address at UNC Chapel Hill’s spring commencement on May 14. NSJ STAFF
Elmore in for Lt. Gov. race North Wilkesboro State Rep. Jeff Elmore has added his name to the growing list of candidates for lieutenant governor in 2024. Elmore, a Wilkes County Republican who has guided public education legislation and spending during his time in the General Assembly, announced his bid at a recent county GOP meeting, news outlets reported. Elmore reiterated his plans last week in a video in which he said a more formal campaign kickoff would occur in the next couple of weeks. A teacher in Wilkes County Schools, Elmore was first elected to the House in 2012 after serving on the North Wilkesboro town board. “I’m very excited. I feel with my background in education, I can help in this role moving forward,” Elmore told The Wilkes Record. Current GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson announced last month he was running for governor. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
House committee no closer to answers following second SBI hearing By Matt Mercer North State Journal RALEIGH — The House Oversight and Reform Committee’s second hearing about improper conduct alleged by State Bureau of Investigation director Bob Schurmeier against members of Gov. Roy Cooper’s senior leadership was no closer to a resolution following a testy hearing on May 2 in Raleigh. Following weeks of emails between the House oversight staff and three witnesses — Cooper chief of staff Kristi Jones, Cooper general counsel Eric Fletcher and SBI general counsel Angel Gray — the hearing took place at 1 p.m. during a hectic week as legislators slogged through their “crossover” week in which most legislation must pass one of the two chambers to be eligible for
ratification. The committee heard from Schurmeier on March 28 in an extraordinary hearing that even committee members were not informed about the purpose of until shortly before it began. On two occasions, Schurmeier said Jones and Fletcher asked him for his resignation and threatened him with investigations of racial discrimination. Schurmeier strongly denied any accusations of wrongdoing. Schurmeier pointed to the meetings that occurred from Oct. to Dec. 2022 in which, while recovering from surgery, he was asked to resign or face an investigation. “It was clear intimidation,” he said in response to a question from committee co-chair Jake See SBI, page A2
NC superintendent pushes back on proposed Biden Title IX change By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — North Carolina State Superintendent Catherine Truitt has taken a position on the proposed changes to Title IX by the Biden administration’s Department of Education that would force states to allow biological men to be able to compete on women’s sports teams based on the male’s gender identity. In a May 1 letter to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Truitt asked the administration to “maintain the intent of Title IX as it pertains to safety and fairness in women’s sports.” “I am writing to request that your Department of Education maintain
the intent of Title IX as it pertains to safety and fairness in women’s sports,” wrote Truitt. “Under no circumstance can we assume that Congress, when crafting this important law forty years ago, fathomed a biological male playing competitive sports in an all-female league or competition at any level. The current proposed rule from the Department of Education would undermine the intent of Title IX, which was to increase opportunities for female athletes.” Truitt went on to say that she believes “we need to protect the integrity of women’s sports.” “As a mom to two daughters who are currently college and high school athletes respectively, I strongly be-
RALEIGH — The stage is set for a veto override fight following the passage of Senate Bill 20, the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act. The legislation reduces the state’s elective abortion limit from 20 weeks down to 12 and includes an exception for rape and incest through 20 weeks. It also establishes an exception for fetal life-limiting anomalies through 24 weeks and there is no limit if a doctor determines the life of the mother is in danger. Also included in the bill are several financial line items to support women and families, such as $75 million to expand access to child care, more than $16 million that includes federal matching funds to reduce infant and maternal mortality, and $20 million to pay for maternity and paternity leave for teachers and state employees. Additionally, the bill includes almost $59 million for foster care, kinship care and children’s homes, as well as $7 million to increase birth control access for uninsured or medically indigent patients, and another $3 million to help mothers and fathers complete community college. Multiple criminal penalties are also in the bill, including making it a Class D felony and a $250,000 fine
lieve we must maintain a level playing field in women’s sports — one where biological sex supersedes gender preference,” Truitt wrote. “There are inherent and intrinsic biological differences between men and women that impact athletic performance.” The superintendent went on to list differences in strength, speed and endurance that can impact outcomes in sports. She also cited medical studies showing an “average 10-12% performance gap between elite males and elite females,” that “is almost entirely attributable … to the production of testosterone.” “Biological differences help explain why competitive sports have traditionally separated biological males from that of females. This is precisely why the true intent of Title IX is so important,” wrote Truitt. “We can respect individual gender preferences without reconstructing Title IX to inherently disadvantage women. Biological sex must be the basis for sporting events.” She added that the proposed rule See TITLE IX, page A2
for any physician that fails to aid babies born alive following a botched procedure, raising penalties for assault on pregnant women, including lifetime GPS monitoring for certain domestic violence offenders. The bill passed the House on May 3 down party lines by a vote of 71-46. On May 4, the Senate took up the bill, which passed by a vote of 29 to 20, again down party lines. The Senate session began at 10 a.m. with more than half a dozen bills on the list. Discussion on Senate Bill 20 began just before noon, but the final vote was not taken until 4:58 p.m. due to every Senate Democrat taking a turn to speak. Each used the maximum 10-minute allotment to delay passage of the bill. After passage and ratification that same day, the bill was sent to the governor. Within hours of the bill passing, Cooper issued a video statement on Twitter accompanied by text that read. “This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom.” In the video, Cooper claims “Republicans are pushing an abortion ban that dramatically reduces women’s health care freedoms.” Cooper says the “fine print” will “shut down clinics” and make aborSee BILL, page A3
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