NC Reps. prepare for a new legislative session

With the election of N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper and a Republican majority in the General Assembly, the future of laws like House Bill 2 and Medicaid expansion are expected to be widely debated.

N.C. Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, said Cooper’s plans to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and repeal House Bill 2 accurately represent state constituents’ priorities.

“I think that is a signal that he’s going to take courageous stands and be responsive to the majority of the voters,” Insko said.

N.C. Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union, said he would not comment on whether he would support the repeal of House Bill 2 in the new legislative season.

“We need people to learn and listen to each other, and to not vote based on some dogma or some commitment that they’ve made along the line,” Horn said.

N.C. Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Durham, said he supports Cooper’s plan to expand Medicaid and the jobs and stability he expects it will create in the rural community’s hospitals. Meyer hopes House Bill 2 will be repealed but is concerned about other factors that need to come into play to effectively repeal it.

“I feel pretty good that we’re going to repeal HB2, and I’m convinced there (are) enough votes, but it depends on the Republican leadership and if they’ll bring it to the floor,” said Meyer. “There is a division in our caucuses.”

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay for redrawing North Carolina’s legislative districts as a result of certain districts being drawn as “racial gerrymanders.”

Whether there will be legislative elections this year depends on the Supreme Court’s hearing for the case and ultimate decision, Meyer said.

Horn said he hopes there is not another election this year because campaigning in the middle of a session will distract legislators from other issues.

“We’ll have people running for reelection, talking to the cameras instead of talking to each of us,” he said. “I need people to talk to me and to help me make a good informed decision, not a politically correct decision.”

Meyer said he wants the Supreme Court to hear the case on redrawing districts soon because the unconstitutionally drawn districts have negatively affected legislation.

“My hope is that we get new maps and new elections in 2017 because our state has already spent six years under unconstitutional maps, and that has resulted in really bad legislation,” Meyer said. “We need to get legislators that are more representative of North Carolina as quickly as possible.”

Horn said it is often easier for the legislature to collaborate when there are less financial constraints in the state.

Horn, a sponsor of House Bill 17 — which is currently being legally challenged by Cooper — said he hopes the Democratic and Republican parties can work together productively.

“Personally, I’d like the parties to get together and resolve it without judicial intervention,” Horn said. “I think that’s possible.”

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