House Bill 142, which repeal House Bill 2, would be introduced to the Senate floor Thursday morning. | Getty North Carolina lawmakers announce deal to repeal bathroom law

North Carolina state legislators announced late Wednesday they had reached a deal with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to repeal the controversial HB2 law, which restricted transgender bathroom access in the state.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, according to local reports, said at a late-night press conference that House Bill 142, which would repeal House Bill 2, would be re-introduced to the Senate floor Thursday morning.


“We have reached an agreement with the governor," said Berger. “We have agreed with the governor that we will take no questions tonight.”

The pair of legislators gave no further details of the repeal measure, but asserted that the bill "will pass" when it hits the floor of the legislature Thursday.

If the repeal is successful, it would shutter a hotly contested law enacted under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory that prevented individuals from entering government facilities that matched their gender identity.

The law also limits discrimination protections on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

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The repeal process, if completed by noon Thursday, could also mean the state may escape punitive measures from the NCAA, which had threatened to remove the state from contention for being chosen for championship sites from 2018 through 2022. The NCAA had previously relocated other events, including men's basketball tournament games that were to have been played in Greensboro this month.

The HB2 law, which has been fiercely protested by LGBT-advocacy groups and national political figures, has also threatened to pose harsh long-term economic problems for the state, with numerous high-profile lucrative deals, pulled or on the verge of being pulled in opposition to the law. Since the law's passing, numerous companies have mounted boycotts and a spate of protests in its opposition have been held at the local, state and national level.

Despite the rebuttal of local Republicans, who pushed the bill through the legislature last March, analyses have painted a dire picture of its economic impact. An Associated Press analysis found that $3.76 billion would be lost in business over a dozen years in the state if HB2 remained in place.