NC Family Staff | July 28, 2023 | SHARE: 
As we’ve mentioned the last couple of weeks, the North Carolina General Assembly has been on break, only having pro forma sessions and not taking any substantive action on items this week. Budget negotiations are still underway, and you can learn more about what has been happening recently below!
If you remember from a couple of weeks ago, Governor Cooper vetoed three critical pro-family bills. The bills were returned to the General Assembly for override votes, but it is uncertain when these votes will take place. Check out our previous Weekly Update for our full explanation of why it’s taking so long to do the override votes. You can learn more about Governor Cooper’s vetoes here.
Last week, WRAL released a report on how the efforts to legalize casino gambling in North Carolina have progressed. Casinos are particularly harmful because they are specifically and strategically designed to exploit people and entice them to gamble for as long as possible. Moreover, decades of research clearly shows that the more forms of gambling that are legalized and advertised, the more citizens will gamble. Of those who do, a significant percentage will develop pathological or problem gambling issues. Gambling addiction manifests itself in increases in crime, domestic violence, child abuse, divorce, job loss, personal bankruptcy, substance abuse, and even suicide. These harms not only impact the gamblers themselves, but also their families, friends, employers, and community. Learn more about casino gambling and what you can do to help prevent it here.
At the end of June, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of Lorie Smith and her business, 303 Creative. While the case primarily regarded Lorie’s right to refuse to make website stating messages that she disagreed with on the basis of her religion, the media has portrayed the results as a ruling against LGBTQ rights. Our legal intern, Jaden, addresses several of these misconceptions and inaccurate portrayals, and reveals why the 303 Creative ruling is beneficial for all Americans. Read more here.
