The state Senate passed the new masking bill — negotiated by both chambers to remedy concerns on the removal of a pandemic-era health exemption — in a 28-0 vote that Senate Democrats were absent from in protest. Republicans supporters say the legislation was prompted in part by the widespread use of masks by those protesting on college campuses nationwide against Israel’s war in Gaza — including at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Another addition to the bill would allow some federal political committees greater latitude in moving contributions to county and state parties in North Carolina. Senate Republicans said that language would remove obstacles for groups like the Republican Governors Association and the Republican Attorneys General Association to give directly to the North Carolina Republican Party to assist in future elections. Now, Pare told The Associated Press she was happy with the health provision, saying it was “the right thing to do.” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services drafted that specific language, she said.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 07, 2024 00:45 UTC