Apr 8, 2015
Attorney General Cooper: I'd Veto RFRA
Raleigh, N.C. (April 8, 2015) — North Carolina Attorney General and presumptive 2016 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper told the Associated Press on Wednesday he rejects a proposal allowing public officials to cite religion for declining to serve same-sex couples (Senate Bill 2) and would also veto a so-called "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" (or RFRA) bills circulating in the N.C. General Assembly that have been used in other states to allow public and private entities to discriminate agains LGBT citizens.
"There are laws in place that protect religious liberties," Cooper said. "We don't need these laws that hurt people and our economy."
The N.C. General Assembly is currently considering two RFRA bills (Senate Bill 550, House Bill 348) that would allow this exact type of discrimination. In the wake of backlash over similar bills in Indiana and Arkansas, N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory and N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) have joined a chorus of state leaders who are questioning the need for such legislation. Gov. McCrory said he would not sign the legislation, but has not said whether he would veto it.
Equality NC's Chris Sgro immediately applauded the Attorney General's comments, calling them "precisely the type of leadership we'll need to not only push back against anti-LGBT forces of discrimination."