North Carolina HB 308: Regulatory Reform Act of 2020.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 5
HOUSE BILL 308
Committee Substitute Favorable 3/18/25
Committee Substitute #2 Favorable 4/1/25
Senate Judiciary Committee Substitute Adopted 5/20/26
Fifth Edition Engrossed 6/2/26

Short Title: 2026 Criminal Law Changes. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 6, 2025
*H308-v-5*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO MODIFY CERTAIN GENERAL STATUTES RELATED TO CRIMINAL 2
PROCEDURE, SENTENCING, OFFENSES, AND OTHER LAWS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
AMEND STRANGULATION PENALTIES 6
SECTION 6.(a) G.S. 14-32.4 reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 14-32.4. Assault inflicting serious bodily injury; strangulation; penalties. 8
(a) Unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater 9
punishment, any person who assaults another person and inflicts serious bodily injury is guilty 10
of a Class F E felony. 11
(a1) The following definitions apply to this section: 12
(1) "Serious bodily injury" is defined as bodily Serious bodily injury. – Bodily 13
injury that creates a substantial risk of death, or that causes serious permanent 14
disfigurement, coma, a permanent or protracted condition that causes extreme 15
pain, or permanent or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any 16
bodily member or organ, or that results in prolonged hospitalization. 17
(2) Strangulation. – Impeding the normal breathing or circulation of blood of 18
another person by applying pressure to the throat or neck of the person or by 19
obstructing the nose and mouth of the person. 20
(a2) Unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater 21
punishment, any person who assaults another person by strangulation is guilty of a Class H 22
felony. 23
(b) Unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater 24
punishment, any person who assaults another person and inflicts physical injury by strangulation 25
is guilty of a Class H G felony." 26
SECTION 6.(b) G.S. 143B-1773(a) reads as rewritten: 27
"(a) There is established within the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons the Blue 28
Alert System. The purpose of the Blue Alert System is to aid in the apprehension of a suspect 29
who kills or inflicts serious bodily injury on a law enforcement officer by providing a statewide 30
system for the rapid dissemination of information regarding the suspect. The term "serious bodily 31
injury" is as defined in G.S. 14-32.4(a).G.S. 14-32.4." 32

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 308-Fifth Edition
SECTION 6.(c) This section becomes effective December 1, 2026, and applies to 1
offenses committed on or after that date. 2
3
THE HALO ACT 4
SECTION 6.1.(a) Article 30 of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes is amended by 5
adding a new section to read: 6
"§ 14-223.1. Approaching a first responder with specified intent after a warning. 7
(a) Definitions. – For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: 8
(1) First responder. – Means any of the following: 9
a. A law enforcement officer. 10
b. A firefighter. 11
c. An emergency medical technician or a medical responder. 12
d. A probation or parole officer. 13
e. A person whose employment duties include the custody, 14
transportation, or management of persons who are detained or 15
confined to a detention facility, youth development center, or 16
correctional institution operated under the jurisdiction of the State or 17
a local government. 18
(2) Harass. – To willfully engage in a course of conduct directed at a first 19
responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that 20
first responder and serves no legitimate purpose. Merely taking photographs 21
or recording a first responder without another overt act shall not be included 22
in this definition. 23
(b) Offense. – It is unlawful for a person, after receiving a verbal warning not to approach 24
from a person he or she knows or reasonably should know is a first responder, who is engaged in 25
the lawful performance of a legal duty, to knowingly and willfully violate the warning and 26
approach or remain within 25 feet of the first responder with the intent to do any of the following: 27
(1) Impede or interfere with the first responder's ability to perform his or her duty. 28
(2) Threaten the first responder with physical harm. 29
(3) Harass the first responder. 30
Merely taking photographs or recording a first responder without another overt act shall not 31
constitute a violation of this subsection. 32
(c) Punishment. – Unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law 33
providing greater punishment, a person who violates subsection (b) of this section is guilty of a 34
Class 2 misdemeanor." 35
SECTION 6.1.(b) This section becomes effective December 1, 2026, and applies to 36
offenses committed on or after that date. 37
38
RIOT LAW CHANGES 39
SECTION 7.(a) G.S. 15A-534.8(b) reads as rewritten: 40
"(b) A defendant may be retained