East Lake Norman News

A high-ranking Senate Republican said that the legislative body would vote on a bill to allow certain businesses to reopen and remove the provision that the governor needs Council of State concurrence when deciding to close those businesses in an emergency. 

Senate President Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) posted to his Medium press webpage on June 25 that the legislative body's latest proposals strip away the Council of State requirement and, again, calls for reopening fitness centers, gyms and other businesses and public spaces like playgrounds.  

“Every state that borders North Carolina has reopened gyms and bars," Moore said in a statement on his website about the legislation. "The governor can walk maskless with a group of protesters, but won’t let you take your son or daughter to the playground. These inconsistencies continue to eat away at trust in his administration.”

In June, Cooper vetoed an effort from the House of Representatives to reopen gyms and fitness centers. The Republican-led effort to overturn the veto failed largely along party lines.  

"Tying the hands of public health officials in times of pandemic is dangerous, especially when case counts and hospitalizations are rising," Cooper said in his June 19 veto. "State and local officials must be able to take swift action during the COVID-19 emergency to prevent a surge of patients from overwhelming hospitals and endangering the lives of North Carolina."

Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over how best to manage reopening sections of North Carolina-based industries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Berger posted to his website that the latest bill proposal removing the Council of State should be more acceptable for Democrats and the governor. 

"These new bills strip the Governor and the Democrats of the objection they’ve lodged to the reopening bills," Sen. Rick Gunn (R-Alamance) said in a statement on Berger's website. "Enough is enough — let’s get these businesses open."