GOP Gov. Pat McCrory moved to the right of the Republican-controlled General Assembly on one of his two vetoes. He moved to the left of the body on the other.
On Tuesday, he lost in the House, left and right.
Lawmakers first override McCrory’s veto of a bill requiring drug testing for Work First applicants, 77-39.
“Being drug-free is an essential part to finding and keeping a job,” said Rep. Dean Arp, R-Union, who asked the House to override the veto. “This specific welfare aid should go to law-abiding North Carolinians first.”
Rep. James Fulghum, R-Wake, argued to sustain the veto, saying that the state already had a system of screening for drug abuse and providing treatment.
“I think the current system demonstrably works very well,” Fulghum said. He said the bill amounted to “kicking a man while he is down.”
The House also overrode McCrory’s veto of a bill expanding the length a seasonal employee could work for a farm or business before the employer had to submit the employee’s name to the federal E-verify database to check the employee’s legal status to work. That vote was 84-32.
House Minority Leader Larry Hall, D-Durham, argued for overriding the veto.
“We still have farmers and people in the industry that have to depend on labor from all over the world,” Hall said. “This bill gives them the opportunity to have more stability in their workforce.”
Rep. George Cleveland, R-Onslow, called for the body to sustain the veto.
“This is a jobs bill for illegal aliens,” Cleveland said. “We’re going to become a magnet for illegal aliens.”
The Senate is expected to take up the two bills on Wednesday. McCrory’s hopes at sustaining the vetoes are dim there also. Both bills passed the Senate earlier in the summer by veto-proof margins.
