HB2 repeal bill on the table, but has no clear path
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- While this legislative long session is still in its infancy, Democrats made it clear Wednesday they have not forgotten about House Bill 2. They filed a repeal bill.
But there is no clear path for its passage.
Durham Democratic Senator Floyd McKissick is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 25, the first salvo against the state's most controversial law. The bill is entitled simply, "Repeal HB2."
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"That's exactly what we need to do, repeal HB2 immediately to get North Carolina back on track and undo all the damage that's been caused by that bill," McKissick said.
McKissick's repeal bill would be a reset button, taking the state back to where it was on March 22 when there was no law banning transgender citizens from using the public restrooms of their choice. And, no Charlotte ordinance giving them that legal right.
But, it also wouldn't stop any city or town from passing new anti-discrimination rules.
"We would be back on a level playing field," McKissick said.
"We do not support a repeal of House Bill 2," said Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of NC Values Coalition, one of the legislature's top Christian conservative lobby groups.
"HB2 is good for the state. This is what protects the privacy and the safety of women and children in bathroom showers and locker rooms," Fitzgerald said.
Read all ABC11 stories about HB2 here
Fitzgerald's group rejects the notion that HB2 is a hate law. She says estimates of $500 million in economic losses to the state tied to the law are overblown.
So is there room for compromise, to somehow roll back the law?
"I think what we have to do is sit down and work things out and come up with a reasonable compromise," McKissick said.
The senator would not comment on what kind of compromise he would find acceptable.
"If there was a compromise, this bill does not represent it," Fitzgerald said.
When asked if there was room for any compromise. Fitzgerald responded, "I don't believe so."
The "Repeal HB2 Bill" will be on the legislative calendar Thursday. But that does not mean it will get a vote.
Republican committee chairs decide whether a bill gets a hearing and gets a vote. And they do not have to do either.
