Republican leadership in the General Assembly has introduced legislation to increase penalties for rioting across North Carolina.
House Bill 805 would establish a new level of felony penalties for rioters who cause property damage or serious bodily injury or death to others, including physical violence to first responders.
The bill allows business owners who sustain damage, or people physically harmed, to sue the perpetrators for up to three times the actual damages sustained, in addition to legal fees.
“Riots and looting devastated many North Carolina downtowns last year at a time when many small businesses were already struggling,” said H.B. 805’s primary sponsor, House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland. “This legislation will seek to deter future riots and increase penalties on those who engage in this anti-social anarchy.”
Even as a bill to reopen schools across North Carolina garnered unanimous bipartisan support and was fast-tracked through the legislature, North Carolina’s teacher’s union released a statement blasting Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and lawmakers from both political parties for the compromise.
In a rare instance of bipartisan agreement, Cooper joined with both Republican and Democratic leaders in the N.C. House and Senate at a news conference Wednesday, March 10, to unveil a new school reopening plan for the entire state. Fewer than 24 hours later, Senate Bill 220 has won unanimous support from both chambers of the General Assembly a 49-0 vote in the Senate on Wednesday and a 119-0 vote in the House on Thursday. Cooper signed the bill into law later that day.
Article updated at Thursday, March 11. to include Senate and House proceedings and governor’s signing.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican lawmakers have reached an agreement on reopening public schools for in-person instruction under a compromise plan that returns most decision-making autonomy to local school boards.
The state Senate voted 49-0 to approve the measure after less than 10 minutes of debate. The House on Thursday, March 11, also passed the bill in a unanimous vote. Cooper signed it Thursday night.
The new measure, Senate Bill 220, was a major victory for parents, students, and General Assembly lawmakers committed to getting students back into the classroom, House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said Thursday.