RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's contentious restrictions on public mask-wearing became law on Thursday after GOP lawmakers successfully overrode a veto by the state's Democratic governor.
The Senate gave its final stamp of approval in a 30-14 override vote along party lines. The state House initiated the process Wednesday when it voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto during a lengthy session that lasted well into the night.
The ban joins a list of more than 20 gubernatorial vetoes the GOP-dominated North Carolina General Assembly has overridden in the past year. Republicans hold narrow supermajorities in both chambers.
The law, most of which goes into effect immediately, contains different language from the bill that lawmakers first introduced this session. The original proposal had removed a 2020 bipartisan regulation put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed masking for health reasons, prompting pushback from the public and some Democratic legislators. The lawmakers restored a medical exemption.
The law allows people to wear medical or surgical-grade masks in public to prevent the spread of illness. Law enforcement and property owners can ask people to temporarily remove those masks to verify their identity.
The measure also increases the severity of punishment for crimes committed while wearing a mask, and raises penalties for protesters who purposefully block traffic. The latter provision is scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1.
An unrelated provision on campaign finance was tacked on to the bill during negotiations. The law allows federally registered committees to donate money to state political parties by tapping pots of money that include unlimited contributions from individuals.
Multiple times during the bill's pathway through the legislature, GOP lawmakers said it was, in part, a response to widespread protests on college campuses against the war in Gaza.
“It’s about time that the craziness is ... at least slowed down, if not put to a stop,” one of the bill's supporters, Wilson County Republican Sen. Buck Newton, said last month.
More than 30 people were detained at an encampment set up at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to protest the war in Gaza. Many of the demonstrators wore masks.
Earlier this year, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked roads in Raleigh and Durham.
Opposition to the measure initially centered on the removal of the health exemption, which Democratic lawmakers and other opponents said could harm immunocompromised people.
“You’re making careful people into criminals with this bill,” Mecklenburg County Democrat Sen. Natasha Marcus said in May.
Those concerns were largely ignored, however, until Rep. Erin Pare, Wake County's only Republican General Assembly member, announced on X that she wouldn't vote for the bill if a health exemption wasn't included. The legislation's passage skidded to a halt, prompting GOP legislators to add a health exemption.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups said the bill stifles protesters' free speech.
Now, most Democratic lawmakers are concerned about the election finance provision, which they said would lead to a lack of transparency in elections. Cooper cited the same provision as his main reason for vetoing the legislation.
General statutes on masking date back to 1953, and were largely aimed at curbing Ku Klux Klan activity in North Carolina, according to David Cunningham, a Washington University at St. Louis sociology professor who wrote a book on the subject. The section of state laws that includes masking restrictions is titled “Prohibited Secret Societies and Activities.”
In addition to the health exception, the law also exempts masks worn with holiday costumes, in theatrical productions or on jobs where they are used to keep workers safe.
New York is considering a ban that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said would be a way to combat antisemitic acts by masked individuals. The measure would include exemptions for health and religious reasons. As in North Carolina, civil liberties groups in the state have expressed concerns about how the ban would affect free speech.
In Ohio last month, Attorney General Dave Yost cited the state's existing mask restrictions when warning student protesters that he could charge them with felonies for wearing them.
This story has been edited to clarify that the provision of the law involving demonstrators who block roadways is scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 1.
FILE - Gov. Roy Cooper talks during a press conference in Raleigh, N.C., April 24, 2024. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday, June 21, 2024, vetoed North Carolina's masking bill that previously removed a pandemic-era exemption that allowed people to mask in public for health reasons. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP, File)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Pillar's single with one out in the 10th inning drove in Taylor Ward and the Los Angeles Angels extended their winning streak to six, rallying for a 6-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.
“Belief. You can feel the energy changing where maybe earlier we talked about going out and winning and hoping we win. I think we’re starting to expect that every time we go on the field,” said Pillar, who had the fourth walk-off hit of his career and first since 2018.
With Ward as the automatic runner in the 10th, Luis Guillorme had a sacrifice bunt to move Ward to third. Detroit decided to have five infielders with Pillar up and the outfielders playing in left center and right center. Pillar, who came in as the designated hitter in the seventh inning, hit a looping single into left off Jason Foley (2-2) for the Angels second walk-off victory of the season.
“The 10th inning set up perfectly for us. We had a guy who could bunt and a guy in the hole that has been in those situations before,” manager Ron Washington said.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said with the five man infield they tried to play to Pillar's pull side, but he was able to get underneath the sinker.
“We played a good game. We didn't play one or two runs enough to win it. It's tough to start the road trip this way,” Hinch said.
The Angels trailed 5-2 before coming back. Ward had a two-run double in the seventh inning and Logan O’Hoppe tied it with a solo shot to center to lead off the eighth. It was the second straight night the Angels’ catcher homered in the eighth inning.
“We had some opportunities when we didn’t put the ball in play, but we kept grinding in every inning. Then Taylor came up with the big move to get us back in the game,” Washington said.
Jake Rogers had a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Reese Olson had a season-high nine strikeouts for Detroit, which has dropped five of six.
Rogers also had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning as he had his second three-RBI game of the season.
The Angels had a pair of defensive gems in the final two innings. O'Hoppe also made an off balance throw and Guillorme made a leaping grab and tag at second base to get Riley Greene out on a stolen base attempt in the ninth inning. Zach Neto also made a nice play on a sharp grounder by Colt Keith to end the 10th.
Ben Joyce (1-0) retired the Tigers in order in the 10th for the win.
Detroit got its first three runners aboard in the first but could only manage one run when Wenceel Pérez scored on Keith's fielder's choice.
The Angels took the lead with a pair in the third. Nolan Schanuel came home after Olson threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded and Willie Calhoun's grounder drove in Luis Rengifo.
Detroit responded with two in the fourth. Keith scored on Zach McKinstry's fielder's choice and Rogers' sacrifice fly brought home McKinstry.
Rogers extended the Tigers' lead to 5-2 in the sixth with a two-run shot to left-center. At 443 feet, it was the longest homer of his career.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: SS Javier Báez (lumbar spine inflammation) is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Monday at Triple-A Toledo.
Angels: CF Mike Trout (left knee) is hopeful for a return by late July ... 3B Anthony Rendon (left hamstring strain) is expected to face live pitching next week.
UP NEXT
Angels lefty Tyler Anderson (7-7), who is eighth in the majors with a 2.63 ERA, takes on Detroit RHP Casey Mize (1-6, 4.54 ERA), who is 0-6 in his last 11 starts.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Angels' Kevin Pillar heads to first on a single that drove in the winning run against the Detroit Tigers during the 10th inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels second baseman Luis Guillorme (15) holds up the ball after tagging out Detroit Tigers' Riley Greene on a steal attempt during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Carlos Estevez tries to pick off Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Perez at first base during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels' Logan O'Hoppe (14) is congratulated by Luis Rengifo after O'Hoppe hit a home run against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto takes the field before the Angels' baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels' Kevin Pillar watches his single that drove in the winning run against the Detroit Tigers during the 10th inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Kevin Pillar (12) is congratulated by teammates after he hit a single to drive in the winning run against the Detroit Tigers during the 10th inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels' Luis Rengifo (2) returns to the dugout after scoring a run on a groundout by designated hitter Willie Calhoun (5) against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Detroit Tigers' Jake Rogers (34) high-fives a teammate in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Detroit Tigers' Zach McKinstry (39) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Perez watches his single against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Perez (46) advances to second base as Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto catches the throw during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson throws to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning (47) throws to a Detroit Tigers batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
