GOVERNOR HAS LESS POWER SHOULD COVID STRIKE AGAIN

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper began 2023 with a lot less power — thanks in part to the Bowling Proprietors Association of the Carolinas and Georgia.

A new state law that went into effect on Jan. 1 is, in large part, a response to how Cooper handled the COVID-19 response in the state, when Cooper governed under a state of emergency with virtually no checks on his power for more than two years. During that time, the BPACG sued the governor for the right to reopen centers, noting that he had allowed “big box” stores such as Walmart and Home Depot to do so.

“Our point was that we could operate our centers more safely,” BPACG Executive Director Renee Dennis said. “We already were wiping down every bowling ball and every tabletop after each use. We’ve been spraying shoes for 75 years.”

Ultimately, Business Court Judge James Gale ruled in favor of the proprietors. Although the governor subsequently held up the matter in the state’s Supreme Court, defiant proprietors reopened and stayed open, and not long thereafter Cooper relaxed his restrictions.

Now, with the new law, a North Carolina governor must consult with and gain the support of the North Carolina Council of State (think of it as an executive board) before enacting emergency mandates.