Dozen new laws take effect in North Carolina

(The Center Square) – New legislation in North Carolina outlines extensive new guidelines the State Board of Elections must follow, all in an effort to ensure an updated voter registration list and fair elections.

Senate Bill 747 is one of 12 bills that totally or partially took effect Monday.

Another new law, Senate Bill 452, will give the State Board of Education more control over high school sports in the state. This is through oversight of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto was nullified by the General Assembly’s override. It expands the rights of students to appeal decisions made by the athletic association to an “independent appeals board.”

The new election legislation requires checks for address changes, stricter rules for mail-in voting, enters the state into “data sharing agreements with other states to cross-check information on voter registration and voting records,” and the removal of “deceased persons” and “ineligible voters” from the voter list.

Ineligible voters include felons and noncitizens.

Some aspects of the law, most directly related to same-day voting, are tied up in court facing challenges.

Senate Bill 677 expedites the construction of certain multi-family or commercial building projects, allowing surveyors to expedite their “at-risk construction permitting.”

Another law, House Bill 600, seeks to provide “regulatory relief” to citizens in North Carolina. Much of the new law deals with agricultural, energy, envirometal, and natural resources, outlining changes in the regulations for industries like fisheries.

Other aspects of the law loosens restrictions on everything from online marketplaces to the pay requirements for minor league baseball players.

Other bills that took effect include House Bill 11, which clarifies the regulation requirements for North Carolina schools for the Deaf and Blind, and House Bill 198, which makes some changes to transportation laws in the state.