North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed a bill that aimed to expand funding for private school vouchers and enforce local sheriffs’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities in detaining illegal immigrants. Cooper, who has consistently opposed the expansion of private school vouchers, announced on September 20 that he had vetoed House Bill 10. The bill was passed by the Republican-led state Legislature on September 9 and received praise from advocates of school choice.
The version of House Bill 10 that Cooper vetoed called for $248 million in nonrecurring funds to fully fund the waitlist for Opportunity Scholarships, which provide financial assistance for students attending private schools. The bill also allocated $215 million in recurring funds to continue supporting the program in future fiscal years. Additionally, it included various budget adjustments, extra funding for special needs programs, provisions to improve broadband access in rural areas, and a mandate for local sheriffs to hold noncitizens charged with specific crimes for 48 hours and notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
During a press conference on Friday, Cooper expressed his objections to private school vouchers and argued that the bill would particularly harm rural public schools. He stated that diverting public taxpayer dollars towards private school vouchers would benefit wealthy families at the expense of all public schools.
Mike Long, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, defended the Opportunity Scholarship Program and called for an override of the veto by the state’s General Assembly. Long emphasized that many families have benefited from this program despite Governor Cooper’s opposition.
Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly have the power to override Cooper’s veto due to their supermajority status. The vetoed bill also included provisions regarding local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Critics argue that these provisions could strain relations between law enforcement and immigrant communities by undermining trust and discouraging crime reporting or cooperation with police.
North Carolina Republicans have been attempting to pass a bill requiring sheriffs’ cooperation with ICE since 2019 but were previously vetoed by Governor Cooper both times—once in 2019 and again in 2022.
