Gov. Roy Cooper Vetoed Money-Laundering Bill: HB 237

Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation (HB 237), which could open a path for big polluters to channel unlimited funds into North Carolina political campaigns and allow politicians to hide the dirty money bankrolling their campaigns. 

In his veto message, Cooper said, “This legislation creates a gaping loophole for secret, unlimited campaign money in the middle of an election year. While voters are kept in the dark, this scheme allows anonymous out-of-state billionaires to flood North Carolina with campaign contributions to rescue extreme right-wing candidates that Republicans now fear will lose.” 

Reasons for the Veto

To have a healthy environment, we need a healthy democracy; so we joined 19 other public interest groups in asking for this veto. In our letter to Cooper, we highlighted some of the reasons to veto the bill. We affirmed, “HB 237 creates a political money laundering scheme by creating a significant campaign finance loophole.” Our letter detailed how HB 237 reduces transparency and accountability for organizations making campaign contributions in our state. HB237 “makes it easier for big-money special interests to influence North Carolina elections while avoiding being directly connected to those activities.”

“The additions to H237 that implement campaign finance law changes are grossly negligent and remove safeguards that ensure the well-being and economic needs of North Carolinians are prioritized first, not the ultra-wealthy and outside special interest groups,” said Katelin Kaiser, Policy Director at Democracy North Carolina, one of the signing organizations. “Once again, rather than doing the people’s work, a handful of lawmakers have radically changed the rules so individuals can funnel unlimited, untraceable contributions into North Carolina, opening up the floodgates to buying elections and politicians.” 

Groups Involved & How to Take Action

Other groups included: Advance North Carolina, Common Cause North Carolina, El Pueblo, Emancipate NC, Democracy North Carolina, Forward Justice Action Network, La Fuerza NC, League of Women Voters of North Carolina, North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT), NCAAT In Action, North Carolina Black Alliance, North Carolina Black and Brown Policy Network, NC Budget & Tax Center, NC For the People Action, North Carolina Justice Center, NC League of Conservation Voters, North Carolina NAACP, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and Southern Coalition for Social Justice. 

NC House Speaker Tim Moore predicted the House would vote soon to override the veto.  We urge concerned NC citizens to tell their legislators to oppose overriding Gov. Cooper’s veto of HB 237.

Thank you to those who have already sent emails to their legislators. We have updated the language to reflect the importance of upholding Cooper’s veto. Please send another message!