News Briefs for July 4, 2025
The past week has been a flurry of activity in Raleigh, as Governor Josh Stein vetoed some legislation and signed other bills into law. One of the most controversial new laws is a step toward banning cell phones in schools. HB 959 instructs school systems to adopt policies preventing students from accessing social media during school hours except at the direction of a teacher and within a curriculum. The law also lays out a framework for adding lessons into existing health and mental-health curricula to educate students on the dangers of excessive social-media use. Many school systems across the state have already adopted or are experimenting with policies to eliminate student cell phone use entirely during the instructional day.
Governor Josh Stein has vetoed the bill removing diversity, equity and inclusion from hiring practices in state and local government. Stein said the bill, which was sponsored by Columbus County Rep. Brenden Jones, would prevent the state from hiring better workers. Jones and others disagreed, noting that DEI has been used to provide preferential hiring practices that discriminate against qualified candidates based on race and other factors. The General Assembly is expected to override the veto.
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