South Raleigh News

Hundreds of bills have been introduced during this year's legislative session of the North Carolina General Assembly, covering a variety of topics. Among these, two bills have emerged that are seeking support from North Carolina Republicans.

House Majority Leader Representative Brenden Jones has introduced House Bill 171. This bill aims to prohibit Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices in all state agencies. It also seeks to ban taxpayer funding for DEI programs within these agencies and restricts the use of DEI criteria in hiring processes.

In a statement to Carolina Journal, Jones expressed his views on the bill: “House Bill 171 is about eliminating the divisive and ineffective DEI bureaucracy in state and local government. These programs have injected politics into hiring, promotions, and contracting, prioritizing ideology over qualifications and competence. Government jobs and opportunities should be awarded based on merit, not forced quotas or political mandates.”

In addition to this, Senate Leader Phil Berger along with Senators Warren Daniel and Buck Newton have put forward the "North Carolina Border Protection Act." This act is designed to ensure cooperation between state law enforcement officials and federal immigration laws while protecting residents from Sanctuary City policies.

Senate Bill 153 outlines several measures:

- It requires state law enforcement agencies such as the Department of Public Safety and State Highway Patrol to enter into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for full compliance with immigration laws.

- These agencies must verify the immigration status of individuals in their custody or under supervision.

- The Office of State Budget and Management is tasked with assessing whether unauthorized immigrants are receiving certain state-funded public benefits, making findings public.

- Steps must be taken to ensure only eligible individuals receive these benefits.

- Counties or municipalities establishing Sanctuary Cities would lose local immunity, enabling citizens affected by illegal immigrants to sue them.

- The University of North Carolina System campuses are prohibited from adopting non-cooperative policies regarding federal immigration enforcement or sanctuary school policies.

Senate Bill 153 aims to protect taxpayers by ensuring eligibility for state-funded public benefits like low-income housing tax credits. It also directs UNC institutions to cooperate with immigration officials.

Residents can use the NC General Assembly website to find their county’s legislators if they wish to express support for these bills.