Key NC Senator Explains Absence For Close Override Vote

A North Carolina legislator says he wasn’t on the Senate floor for a close veto override vote on legislation mandating the reopening of public schools because he had to work for his full-time employer. Hoke County Democrat Ben Clark got a leave of absence for Monday’s session. He was one of three Senate Democrats who had voted last month for the legislation that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper had vetoed. The Senate override likely would have been successful had two of the three Democrats stuck to supporting the measure. Only one did. The bill's chief sponsor lamented “flip-flopping senators” after the unsuccessful override vote.