North Carolina HB 579: NC House Public Access Act of 2025.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 579

Short Title: NC House Public Access Act of 2025. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Cervania, Johnson, and Hastings (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 1, 2025
*H579-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO FACILITATE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WITH AND TRANSPARENCY OF 2
LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS BY EQUIPPING ADDITIONAL AREAS OF THE 3
GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX WITH EQUIPMENT TO ALLOW FOR 4
REAL-TIME AND TIME-SHIFTED REMOTE VIEWING. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the General Assembly 7
the nonrecurring sum of ninety-one thousand dollars ($91,000) and the recurring sum of four 8
thousand dollars ($4,000) for the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the purpose of obtaining and 9
installing, as soon as practicable, and maintaining equipment in committee meeting rooms and 10
the chamber of the House of Representatives to allow for recordation of and viewing by the 11
public via the internet of committee meetings and chamber proceedings to make possible (i) 12
real-time access via the internet to the audio and the video of committee meetings and chamber 13
proceedings as provided herein and (ii) archival of and time-shifted viewing access via the 14
internet to the audio and video of committee meetings and chamber proceedings as provided 15
herein for a period of 10 years. It is the intent of the General Assembly by this act to increase the 16
availability of real-time access and archiving for time-shifted viewing of committee meetings 17
and chamber proceedings. The use of equipment and degree of availability funded by the 18
appropriation in this act will be determined with greater specificity by the rules of the House of 19
Representatives adopted for each Regular Session of the General Assembly. 20
SECTION 2. Unless otherwise prohibited by State law or applicable rules adopted 21
by one or both chambers of the General Assembly, the presiding chair of a legislative committee 22
may, in the chair's discretion, decide not to make a video recordation of a committee meeting, 23
provided that the chair (i) provides notice of the decision not to record prior to the start of the 24
meeting and (ii) ensures an official audio recording and written minutes are maintained in 25
accordance with applicable public records laws. 26
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 27