RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation Friday that allocates several hundred million dollars to an expanded private school voucher program and orders sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigrant agents looking for people in the country illegally who have been brought into county jails.
Cooper’s veto was anticipated — the Democratic governor is a longtime critic of spending taxpayer dollars to help families send their K-12 children to private and religious schools. The bill in part funds grants for this fall for children from families at all income levels who qualify. Cooper had already vetoed two previous versions of the immigration bill in 2019 and 2022.
Unlike those previous years, when enough Democrats were seated at the N.C. General Assembly to uphold Cooper’s vetoes, Republicans now hold narrow veto-proof majorities in both chambers. Cooper had vetoed 27 bills since 2023 before Friday. Twenty-six have been overridden, and the other veto is poised to be overturned, too…