House Republicans override Stein vetoes on anti-DEI and pro-ICE bills

North Carolina House Republicans overrode key vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein on bills requiring greater law enforcement cooperation with ICE and banning diversity, equity, and inclusion practices from state government agencies, K-12 public schools and public higher education.

Senate Bill 153, titled "The North Carolina Border Protection Act," Senate Bill 227, "Eliminating ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)' in Public Education," and Senate Bill 558, "Eliminating ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)' in Public Higher Education" are now law, having been overridden by the Senate on party-line votes last summer. They're the 10th, 11th and 12th vetoes by Gov. Josh Stein to be overridden.

House Bill 171, "Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)" still must be overridden by the state Senate before becoming the 13th veto override of Stein's term.

Veto overrides require a vote of three-fifths of the house members "present and voting." When all 120 members are present, that's 72 votes.

However, Rep. Carla Cunningham (U-Mecklenburg) and Rep. Shelly Willingham (D-Edgecombe) were absent for the session, which lowered the three-fifths threshold to 71, the number of seats Republicans control. All four overrides passed on a party-line vote of 71 to 47.

Both Cunningham and Willingham were present and voted during the House Rules Committee earlier Wednesday afternoon. It was unclear why they were not in attendance for the House session.

Cunningham and Willingham did not respond to requests for comment.

House Democratic Leader Robert Reives (D-Chatham) said in an interview following the votes that he and his colleagues had not received an explanation for their decision.

"Both members understood what was happening, both members made the decision that they didn't feel like it was worth attending," he said. "They were well aware that by not attending, these bills would be voted on and overridden."

In a statement, Gov. Josh Stein accused Republican lawmakers of "stoking the culture wars that divide us rather than fulfilling their long-overdue responsibility of passing a budget," adding, "It's time for them to do their jobs for the people of North Carolina."

Republican leaders did not allow debate on the veto overrides. They used a parliamentary rule to allow each side to designate only one person to speak on each override for no more than three minutes.

Democrats protested the move.

"The ability of members to deliberate and represent their constituents is central to the institutional rights of this body," said Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover). "When debate is terminated on matters of substantial public importance, it raises a real question about the dignity of this house and the integrity of these proceedings."

House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) dismissed the protests, noting that most Democrats voted for the chamber rules that make it possible to cut off debate. "Frankly, there's nothing in here that we've not debated at length already," he added.

S153 was championed by outgoing Senate leader Phil Berger. It requires additional cooperation with ICE by local law enforcement. It also requires the North Carolina Departments of Health and Human Services and Commerce, Housing Finance Agency and local housing agencies to check people's immigration status before helping them with food, heat, rent, housing, medication or in-patient psychiatric care.

S153 also removes governmental immunity for any local government that has a "sanctuary" policy or refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, and also bans sanctuary policies at state universities.

"We've taken concrete steps to put an end to sanctuary city policies, but we've had public officials that made a name for themselves by openly defying those laws," said Rep. Reece Pyrtle (R-Rockingham). "These are common sense things to do to ensure that we are doing what we can at the state level to address illegal immigration and protect our citizens."

Rep. Maria Cervania (D-Wake) said far from supporting public safety, requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE would only overburden agencies and put them in legal jeopardy.

"The state should not bear the legal and financial risk of undertaking complex federal operations, especially without adequate oversight and discretion," Cervania said. "We can be serious about border security without sacrificing the values of limited government and local control."

H171 would ban any use of DEI or equity programs in state agencies, including in hiring or training.

"Government hiring should be based on qualifications, contracts should be based on merit, and government services should be open and equal to every citizen," said Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus), the House majority leader.

"Bills like this are anti-American," responded Rep. Amos Quick (D-Guilford). "How can one be anti-diversity in a proudly diverse society, a society made up of people who are diverse in their ability, ethnicity, gender, age, race?"

S227 and S558 eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from public K-12 education and higher education, respectively.

Critics of the bills say they will have a chilling effect on how teachers teach about history and civil rights, and could result in bans on clubs or scholarships for Black and Latino students. Supporters said the bills are needed to prevent "indoctrination" by teachers and professors.

Jones said the measure "protects speech, independent research, and anything required by state or federal law, and it makes clear that schools must prohibit discrimination."

"No child should be told that they're inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, guilty, or morally defined because of their race or sex," he said of the education bill. "That is not censorship, that's common sense."

"Is it permissible to ask Rep. Jones a question as to what he thinks Black children have been going through since history has been started?" asked Quick, prompting applause from Democratic members and onlookers.

Reives said in a speech on the floor that those who feel angry or dejected should remember they still have the power to vote. He said it's time for Republicans to stop sacrificing progress for the pursuit of power.

"How dare you say that you want this state to be the best that it can be, and then spend this time trying to figure out how to stop our best and brightest minds?" Reives said. "If you want true competition and progress, you've got to let folks learn, be healthy, and have opportunities."

Notably absent from the veto overrides on Wednesday was Senate Bill 50, a proposal to allow any North Carolinian over 18 who can legally own a firearm to carry it concealed, lowering the age from 21 and repealing a requirement for safety training. That measure was also championed by Berger, but has opposition from several Republican House members in addition to Democrats.

Brandon Kingdollar covers North Carolina government and state politics for NC Newsline.

Laura Leslie is an award-winning journalist and analyst who's covered North Carolina state politics for 22 years. Before coming to NC Newsline, she served as capitol bureau chief for WRAL-TV in Raleigh and WUNC/NC Public Radio. She also wrote the award-winning political blog Isaac Hunter's Tavern.

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: House Republicans override Stein vetoes on anti-DEI and pro-ICE bills

Reporting by Brandon Kingdollar and Laura Leslie, NC Newsline / Asheville Citizen Times

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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 1:23 PM.