Monday night, members of the state House of Representatives gathered in party caucuses to discuss several topics — the budget, a final vote on the charter school bill, a number of matters needed to wrap up this year’s session.
And the bomb dropped on the chamber by the Senate the night of July 2 — the Family, Faith and Freedom Protection Act, H.B. 695, commonly referred to now as simply the abortion bill.
The bill last week that sat in a Senate committee originally dealt with prohibiting the enforcement of foreign laws within the state, aimed primarily at Muslim Shariah law.
Changes to the bill included taking language from legislation that already passed the House, like banning abortion based on the sex of the fetus, prohibiting abortion insurance coverage under any plan offered through the Affordable Care Act — except in the instance rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother — and expanding legal protection to health care providers who refuse to perform abortions.
Additionally, the bill requires doctors at hand when a woman takes abortion-inducing pills.
The main sticking point for abortion rights supporters is requiring abortion clinics to have similar standards as outpatient surgery clinics, which it’s believed will shutter every abortion provider in the state with the exception of one clinic in Asheville.
But with the bill now in the House, questions remain as to what might happen. In its Saturday editorial, The News & Observer said it puts Speaker of the House Thom Tillis and Gov. Pat McCrory in uncomfortable positions. Tillis is eyeing U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan’s seat, while McCrory promised not to sign into law further abortion restrictions.
“The Senate’s action appears to have caught House Speaker Thom Tillis and Republican Gov. Pat McCrory by surprise,” the editorial board stated. “This session has become so unpredictable that even the GOP’s top leaders are in the dark about what’s happening.”
According to local members of the House, any method of approaching the bill wouldn’t be figured out until the party caucuses met Monday evening.
“I’ve kept up with it just like everyone else has, on the news and online,” Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne, said, while noting the chamber was on a “skeleton crew” and took no votes while the Senate was in session last week.
Speculation going into today’s session was anything could happen, from the House passing the bill, to McCrory letting it become law without his signature, to the House sitting on the bill and letting the session run out without taking action.
Bell said he’d rather see it passed.
“Me, being on the pro-life side of the issue, I do hope the governor will sign it if it is passed, especially if it’s passed overwhelmingly and bipartisan,” Bell said. “I know the governor said what he said, but it’s going to be interesting to see what he does. I know the conservative base of the party, and the conservative, pro-life movement is excited about this bill.”
Rep. George Graham, D-Lenoir, who, like Bell, would analyze the Senate’s changes once he got to Raleigh, said what happens in the House is in the hands of the Republicans.
“They will be determining what will happen and how quickly it will take place,” Graham said.
The bill is slated to be heard by the House Health and Human Services Committee today at 10 a.m. Planned Parenthood Health Systems and NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina are both rallying their supporters to the at the Legislative Building ahead of the committee meeting.
Bill supporter N.C. Values Coalition asked its supporters to be at the committee meeting and to stick around in case the bill goes to the full House.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.