North Carolina Republicans stumbling over repeal of LGBT law

RALEIGH, N.C. -- After hours of delay Wednesday, wavering Republican legislators stumbled with pushing through the repeal of a North Carolina law dictating which bathrooms transgender people must use in government buildings and schools.

The addition of a six-month moratorium on North Carolina cities passing nondiscrimination ordinances for LGBT people -- such as the one in Charlotte that led to House Bill 2 -- caused Democrats to back away from the bill, calling it only a partial repeal. HB2 has been blasted by gay-rights groups and resulted in job losses and sporting event cancellations.

At the same time, House Republicans remained divided over supporting any repeal legislation, putting the ultimate result of the special session called by Gov. Pat McCrory in doubt.

Democrats said the measure broke an agreement with Charlotte leaders who repealed the city's ordinance telling restaurants and hotels to let transgender people use the bathroom aligned with their gender identity.

"This wasn't the deal," said Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Charlotte Democrat. "This bill breaks this deal. Charlotte would have not repealed its ordinance if this was the deal."

Senate Republicans began debating the repeal measure that blocked local governments from passing ordinances regulating employment practices or public accommodations related to restrooms, showers or changing facilities for 180 days. But the GOP halted the debate after about 30 minutes and went into a private caucus to talk.

GOP Senate leader Phil Berger of Eden, the repeal bill's primary sponsor, said the delay would give lawmakers time in 2017 to find a long-range solution to address issues that led to Charlotte's ordinance and HB2.

But in another sign of mistrust between Democrats and Republicans since the GOP took control of state government four years ago, Republicans fired back it was Charlotte city leaders who passed a partial repeal of the city's ordinance Monday.

Council leaders disagreed with that assessment but still met Wednesday morning -- an hour before the special session began -- to repeal other portions of the February ordinance that hadn't been invalidated by HB2.

This was nothing "other than an honest or sincere effort," city attorney Bob Hagemann told the council Wednesday. "The state is sovereign and we are not. ... We're not smart enough to try and trick them."

Republicans in the House couldn't seem to figure out what they wanted. They spent most of the day in closed-door meetings, fighting about whether to approve a repeal bill. Several conservative lawmakers opposed any repeal and said the law needed to be preserved.

"There is no extraordinary circumstance," said Rep. Jeff Collins, R-Nash, during a brief debate over session procedures, "other than the extraordinary hubris of a city council telling us we have to act by a certain date." Monday's action by the Charlotte council was contingent on HB2's repeal by Dec. 31.

They and other social conservative groups said HB2 provides privacy and protection for children using rest-rooms and locker rooms.

The U.S. Justice Department and others contend the threat of sexual predators posing as transgender people to enter a bathroom is practically nonexistent.