North Carolina GOP gives Democrats Juneteenth surprise

North Carolina’s Senate Judiciary Committee spent Juneteenth advancing a bill to gut the state’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs across every level of state and local government.

The measure — already through the House — would ban taxpayer dollars from funding DEI offices, training or hiring preferences, block agencies from taking federal grants with DEI strings attached, and saddle violators with personal civil liability. While Juneteenth is a federal holiday, it is not included in North Carolina’s list of holidays for state employees.

“Happy Juneteenth, everyone,” Democratic Sen. Lisa Grafstein said wryly after the vote, according to NC Newsline. Grafstein didn’t respond to a request for comment.

It is my honor to proclaim today Juneteenth in North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/g74jRa2YlP

— Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) June 19, 2025

The bill carries heavy penalties: any official who signs off an a DEI program or accepts a grant with diversity requirement faces up to $10,000 in fines and a Class 1 misdemeanor charge. If Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signs the bill into law, North Carolina would become the first state to attach criminal penalties to DEI spending.

But the governor has long signaled support for DEI initiatives in his state, saying “schools and businesses should reflect the full strength and richness of our state’s diversity” in response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of affirmative action in 2023. Stein also proclaimed June 14 “Igbo Day” in honor of the Nigerian ethnic group.

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The measure now awaits a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, the last stop before it can reach the floor. Republican leaders haven’t posted the bill on a public agenda yet.

If the bill moves unchanged, it will land in a chamber where the GOP holds a 30-20 supermajority — more than enough to pass it outright. The more precarious chamber is the House, where Republicans control 71 of 120 seats — just a seat short of the three-fifths threshold required to override an expected veto from Stein. Unless a Democrat flips, House leaders may need to soften some language to win Stein’s signature.

Republican Rep. Brian Echevarria framed the measure as a simple bid for colorblind governance during Thursday’s committee debate, according to NC Newsline, but repeatedly deferred to staff when pressed on specifics. Echevarria did not respond to a request for comment.

Committee co-chair Sen. Buck Newton then reportedly cut off further questions from Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch — saying she’d get time for further questioning later — and rushed the measure to a voice vote. It passed along party lines, over the objections of Democratic Sens. Grafstein, Sophia Chitlik and Dan Blue, the outlet reported.

Newton didn’t respond to a request for comment.

North Carolina is hardly alone. Roughly one-third of U.S. states have moved to curb or defund DEI initiatives since 2023, mirroring President Donald Trump’s broader push against such practices in the federal government. Texas shuttered university DEI offices in 2023; Florida slashed higher education diversity budgets; and Republican attorneys general have threatened civil rights lawsuits against corporations they claim use racial quotas.

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