In a party-line decision the North Carolina state Senate pushed-through changes that would limit authority of soon-to-be Democratic leaders (this move came about a month before they take office)
The bill which Gov Roy Cooper previously tried to stop with his veto got over-ruled by GOP-controlled Senate: this affects multiple incoming officials positions. The far-reaching changes target Josh Stein who won governor race and other Democratic winners from last fallʼs election
The re-structured powers would impact several key state-wide positions:
- Governorʼs office executive control
- Attorney generals legal authority
- Lieutenant governors duties
- School superintendents oversight abilities
The Republican-majority Senate didnt need any Democratic votes to achieve their goal - the strict party-line vote showed clear political divide in state leadership. The timing of these modifications raised eye-brows as they come right before the power hand-over thats scheduled for early-2024