NC lawmakers override vetoes on immigration, DEI and education bills
RALEIGH — North Carolina lawmakers moved Wednesday to override Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes on four bills involving immigration enforcement, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, public education and state agencies.
According to the Governor’s Office, Stein released a statement June 24 responding to legislative action on Senate Bill 153, Senate Bill 558, Senate Bill 227 and House Bill 171. Stein criticized lawmakers for taking up the bills while teacher and law enforcement pay raises remain unresolved.
Senate Bill 153, titled the “North Carolina Border Protection Act,” became Session Law 2026-19 on June 24 after a House veto override vote of 71-47, according to the North Carolina General Assembly bill history. The bill’s listed keywords include immigration, law enforcement, local government, housing, unemployment, social services and higher education.
Senate Bill 227, titled “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Education,” became Session Law 2026-20 on June 24. The House override vote was also 71-47. The bill applies to public education statutes and includes references to the State Board of Education, students, teachers and discrimination in the General Assembly’s bill listing.
Senate Bill 558, titled “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Higher Ed,” became Session Law 2026-21 on June 24. The House vote to override the veto was 71-47. The bill applies to community college and University of North Carolina statutes, according to the bill page.
House Bill 171, titled “Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI,” received a House veto override vote of 71-47 on June 24. Unlike the three Senate bills, the House bill’s latest listed action shows it was referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee after the veto was received from the House.
In his statement, Stein said lawmakers were “stoking the culture wars” instead of passing a budget. Legislative Republicans supporting the bills have argued the measures address state policy on immigration enforcement, education and government programs.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
