The North Carolina House has approved an anti-riot bill initially put forth in 2021 but vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
House Bill 40 (pdf) would increase penalties for those who engage in riots that result in damage to property, injury, or death.
In a mostly party-line vote, the bill was approved 75–43, with six Democrats voting in favor of the bill. The bill passed with Democrat support by a margin large enough to override a veto.
House Speaker Tim Moore, who reintroduced the bill this session, called it “common-sense” legislation.
Though it enforces harsher penalties for perpetrators of violence and looting, he said the bill preserves “every North Carolinian’s right to protest peacefully.”…