N.C. Gov. McCrory wants $500,000 in disaster relief funding to defend anti-trans law

The North Carolina state legislature is poised to transfer $500,000 from the state's disaster relief fund to aid in the legal defense of HB2, the heavily-criticized law restricting restroom access, WRAL-TV reported.

"The governor asked for it," said state Senate Budget Chair Harry Brown (R).

The funding was provided as part of a "technical corrections" bill added to another measure, House Bill 805, on Thursday, following the passage of the $22.34 billion state budget.

The "corrections" bill itself is part of standard procedure, since it allows lawmakers to account for items that were not included in the original budget. It must first be approved by the state Senate, then the House, before being sent to McCrory.

The law, which bans trans residents from using restrooms according to their gender identity, has attracted criticism since being approved in a special one-day session in March.

NBC News reported that both the National Basketball Association and the Charlotte Hornets have rejected some rumored amendments to the law released earlier this week, raising the possibility that the NBA could move its All-Star Game out of Charlotte.