Why So Silent, Gov. Perdue?

Gov. Bev Perdue has not stated her stance on some of the more controversial bills lying on her desk since Saturday, when the legislative session officially ended. This is partially understandable. After all, she has more than 200 bills to go through. But why is she waiting to address the most polemic ones?

The governor’s office has reported that it has been overflowing with calls from concerned North Carolinians pleading for her to decide one way or another on particular bills. Some of the more controversial bills include:

-Voter ID (HB 351), which would require a valid photo ID to be able to vote  (UPDATE 5:00p.m. Governor Perdue vetoed the Voter ID bill saying that it was the wrong way to go about protecting voting rights and made a subtle comparison of Voter ID to Jim Crow laws.)

– HB 854 “Women’s Right to Know Act”, which requires complete information, an ultrasound and a waiting period for women seeking an abortion,

– HB 650 an extended Castle Doctrine gun rights bill that would allow licensed carry in State Parks

– SB 709 which would permit controversial oil and gas exploration

– SB 33 a bill that would place a cap on medical malpractice awards

Perdue has strongly hinted that she is planning to veto quite a bit of legislation. This morning she said:“The bills I’m looking at, some of them certainly move North Carolina forward, but in my mind, some of them move North Carolina backward. You’ve got to provide protections and assurances for the people of North Carolina this state works for all of us, not just for some of us.”

She has until June 30th to decide on most of the key bills, with the exception of Women’s Right to Know which must be decided by Monday. Perhaps she will hold her veto stamp back until the very last minute in order to create the greatest press impact. But regardless of Perdue’s timing, North Carolinians should expect the red ink to fly, and soon.