Cooper signs bills funding child care and teacher pay, vetoes small claims court measure

A bill signed by Gov. Roy Cooper will provide a modest infusion of cash to aid struggling child care centers. (Photo: SDI Productions/ Getty Image)

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a dozen bills into law Monday evening, including two that fund child care centers and pay raises for public school teachers.

Senate Bill 332 repeats the 3% pay bump approved by lawmakers last year for teachers, principals and other school personnel. And Senate Bill 357 sends $67.5 million in grant money to keep child care centers open, as centers struggle to make ends meet with the expiration of federal subsidies .

Both bills passed the House and Senate with almost unanimous bipartisan support.

Cooper said in statements that the pair of bills served a valuable purpose, but that lawmakers should go further in addressing their issues. He called on the General Assembly to “make meaningful investments” in public schools, as well as “extending these (child care) grants through 2025, investing in our nationally recognized NC Pre-K and investing more in quality early childhood education.”

And Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 445 , which made changes to small claims courts and property crime provisions. He said the bill created made eviction orders legally ambiguous and could make it more difficult for low-income North Carolinians “to appeal as indigent in small claims court.”

The governor declined to sign one additional measure (a so-called “regulatory reform” bill), allowing it to become law. Senate Bill 607 makes a bevy of changes to state regulations that Cooper said were “important” and “should become law.” But he took issue with language that he says interferes with the charter and bylaws of the North Carolina Railroad.

That language changes how the company’s board of directors are appointed and creates a “Rail Transportation Corridor Authority” to oversee changes and improvements to rail services.

Cooper called the bill an “unconstitutional power grab by Republicans.”

“Article VIII of the North Carolina Constitution protects private businesses from this type of legislative interference in their internal governance,” he said in a statement.

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