H 1080

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
  SESSION 2025
 H  1
  HOUSE BILL 1080
 Short Title:   Public Safety Reinvestment Act.  (Public)
 Sponsors:      Representatives Reives, Helfrich, Logan, and Rubin (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 29, 2026
1A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO HIRE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANT AND DEPUTY
3     CLERKS OF COURT IN WAKE AND MECKLENBURG COUNTIES, TO
4     APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR SALARY INCREASES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
5     ADULT CORRECTION, TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR SALARY INCREASES FOR
6     MEMBERS OF THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL, TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO
7     MODERNIZE PUBLIC TRANSIT SAFETY BY MAKING TRAUMA KITS AVAILABLE
8     ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND IMPROVING FARE ENFORCEMENT AND
9     ANTI-FARE-DODGING MEASURES, TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE SUPPORT
10     OF THE DIVISION OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION
11     AND THE STATE CRIME LABORATORY, AND TO ENHANCE THE BENEFITS OF
12     CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE TEACHERS' AND
13     STATE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
14Whereas, the General Assembly recognizes that chronic and historic underfunding
15 and workforce instability in critical State institutions have contributed to a public safety crisis
16 where courts and jail systems are overburdened, weakening timely responses and increasing the
17 risk of harm to the public, victims, and frontline personnel; and
18Whereas, the General Assembly finds that high-volume judicial districts require
19 sufficient clerk and prosecutorial capacity to ensure the timely administration of justice and
20 maintain public confidence in the courts; and
21Whereas, the General Assembly finds that safe and reliable operations in correctional
22 institutions, juvenile justice facilities, law enforcement agencies, forensic laboratories, and public
23 transportation systems depend upon the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel and the
24 modernization of critical safety infrastructure; and
25Whereas, the General Assembly finds that targeted investments in staffing,
26 compensation, workplace safety, and operational modernization are necessary to restore capacity
27 and strengthen public safety outcomes statewide; Now, therefore,
28 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
29
30 PUBLIC TRANSIT SAFETY MODERNIZATION
31SECTION 1.(a) Article 2B of Chapter 136 of the General Statutes is amended by
32 adding a new section to read:
33 "§ 136-44.28. Emergency trauma kits and first aid training.
34     (a)     All public transportation operators receiving State funds, including any metropolitan
35 transit authority, regional transit authority, or municipal transit system operating bus, rail, light
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1 rail, commuter rail, streetcar, or other fixed-route public transportation services within this State,
2 shall equip every revenue service vehicle, including each bus and each individual train car, with
3 an emergency trauma response kit.
4      (b)    Each emergency trauma response kit shall include, at minimum, all of the following
5 items:
6(1)     Commercially manufactured tourniquets.
7(2)     Hemostatic dressings.
8(3)     Pressure bandages.
9(4)     Trauma shears.
10(5)     Protective gloves and other appropriate personal protective equipment.
11(6)     Any additional lifesaving supplies recommended by the Department of Health
12and Human Services in consultation with the Department of Public Safety.
13      (c)    All operators and supervisory personnel employed by a public transportation system
14 shall complete emergency first aid and bleeding control training consistent with nationally
15 recognized standards, including training in the proper use of tourniquets and trauma response
16 kits. Such training shall be completed within six months of hire and refreshed at least once every
17 two years. An employee who renders emergency aid in good faith pursuant to this section shall
18 be afforded the protections of G.S. 90-21.14.
19      (d)    The Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Department
20 of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety, shall adopt minimum implementation
21 standards to ensure consistency across public transportation systems."
22SECTION 1.(b) Article 2B of Chapter 136 of the General Statutes is amended by
23 adding a new section to read:
24 "§ 136‑44.29. Fare enforcement and anti-fare-dodging measures.
25      (a)    All public transportation operators receiving State funds shall implement reasonable
26 and effective measures to deter and prevent fare evasion. Such measures shall include all of the
27 following:
28(1)     Installation and use of physical access control systems, including turnstiles or
29gated entry systems where operationally and structurally practicable based on
30facility design.
31(2)     Use of electronic validation systems, including barcode scanners, mobile
32ticket validation, or contactless fare verification technology.
33(3)     In-person fare inspection programs, including uniformed or plainclothes fare
34inspectors.
35(4)     Randomized fare verification protocols.
36(5)     Any other technology or enforcement practice determined appropriate by the
37governing board of the transit authority.
38      (b)    Each public transportation operator shall adopt written fare enforcement policies that
39 balance revenue protection, public safety, and equitable enforcement and shall make such
40 policies publicly available."
41SECTION 1.(c) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of
42 Transportation the sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the
43 2026-2027 fiscal year to implement the provisions of G.S. 136‑44.28 and G.S. 136‑44.29, as
44 enacted in this section. Funds appropriated in this section shall be distributed by the Department
45 of Transportation to public transportation operators receiving State funds through a
46 formula-based allocation consistent with existing public transportation funding formulas
47 administered by the Department. Funds may be used for:
48(1)     Purchase and installation of emergency trauma response kits.
49(2)     Training of transit personnel in first aid and bleeding control.
50(3)     Capital expenditures associated with fare enforcement modernization,
51including access control systems and electronic fare validation technology.
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1(4)      Associated implementation and compliance costs.
2SECTION 1.(d) Beginning no later than December 1, 2026, and annually thereafter,
3 each public transportation operator receiving State funds shall submit a report to the Joint
4 Legislative Oversight Committee on Transportation, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee
5 on Justice and Public Safety, and the Fiscal Research Division. The report shall include, at
6 minimum:
7(1)      Estimated fare evasion rates for the preceding fiscal year.
8(2)      Total fare revenue collected.
9(3)      Estimated revenue losses attributable to fare evasion.
10(4)      A description of anti-fare-dodging measures in place.
11(5)      Enforcement actions taken, including citations or warnings issued.
12(6)      Capital investments made to deter fare evasion.
13(7)      Any safety incidents involving public transportation personnel or passengers.
14The Department of Transportation shall compile and publish a statewide summary
15 report aggregating data from all reporting transit authorities. No later than December 1, 2027, the
16 Department shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Transportation, the Joint
17 Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, and the Fiscal Research Division
18 on the use of funds appropriated under this section, including the amounts distributed to each
19 transit authority, the categories of expenditures, and the status of statewide compliance with the
20 provisions of this section.
21SECTION 1.(e) This section becomes effective July 1, 2026.
22
23 COURT SYSTEM STAFFING FOR WAKE AND MECKLENBURG COUNTIES
24SECTION 2.(a) Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, there is appropriated from
25 the General Fund to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) the sum of thirty million
26 dollars ($30,000,000) in recurring funds to be used to hire in Wake and Mecklenburg Counties
27 assistant and deputy clerk of court positions. The AOC shall determine the appropriate allocation
28 of positions between the counties and, no later than 60 days after the allocation, provide a report
29 to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Fiscal Research
30 Division on (i) the number of positions allocated to each county and (ii) the reasoning used in
31 determining those numbers.
32SECTION 2.(b) Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, there is appropriated from
33 the General Fund to the AOC, Budget Fund 100072, the sum of thirty million dollars
34 ($30,000,000) in recurring funds to be used to hire in Wake and Mecklenburg Counties assistant
35 district attorney positions. Notwithstanding G.S. 7A-60, the AOC shall determine the appropriate
36 allocation of positions between the counties and, no later than 60 days after the allocation,
37 provide a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety and
38 the Fiscal Research Division on (i) the number of positions allocated to each county and (ii) the
39 reasoning used in determining those numbers.
40SECTION 2.(c) No later than July 1, 2027, the Department of Health and Human
41 Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services,
42 in coordination with the Administrative Office of the Courts, shall provide a report to the Joint
43 Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the Joint Legislative Oversight
44 Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Fiscal Research Division on the status of the
45 appropriation contained in this section, including (i) cost-savings to the court system, (ii)
46 reductions in case loads, (iii) reductions in the State's incarcerated population, and (iv) any
47 impacts on recidivism. An updated report shall be provided no later than December 1, 2027, and
48 annually thereafter.
49
50 FUNDING  FOR   SALARY INCREASES    AND WORKPLACE  SAFETY
51 IMPROVEMENTS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ADULT CORRECTION
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1SECTION 3. Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, there is appropriated from the
2 General Fund to the Department of Adult Correction (DAC) the sum of two hundred fifty million
3 dollars ($250,000,000) in recurring funds to be used for (i) salary increases for employees of the
4 DAC to align with current market rates and attract and retain qualified employees and (ii) costs
5 incurred from improving workplace safety. For any funds used for salary increases, the DAC
6 shall determine how to allocate the funds appropriated in this section and, no later than 60 days
7 after the allocation, provide a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and
8 Public Safety and the Fiscal Research Division on (i) the positions receiving a salary increase,
9 (ii) the amount of the salary increase for each position, and (iii) rationale for each salary increase
10 provided.
11
12 PROVIDE COMPENSATION INCREASES TO MEMBERS OF THE STATE
13 HIGHWAY PATROL
14SECTION 4.(a) Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund
15 to the Reserve for Compensation Increases to provide pay raises for the State Highway Patrol &
16 Law Enforcement Support Staff the sum of forty million four hundred eighty-two thousand four
17 hundred eighty dollars ($40,482,480) in each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to establish
18 the pay scales set forth in this section.
19SECTION 4.(b) Effective July 1, 2025, the law enforcement officers of the State
20 Highway Patrol shall be paid based upon the following experience-based annual salary schedule:
21    Years of Experience  2025-2027 Biennium
220  $56,000
231  $62,125
242  $68,250
253  $75,375
264  $80,500
275  $86,625
286  $92,750
297  $98,875
308+  $105,000
31SECTION 4.(c) Effective July 1, 2025, sworn State Highway Patrol employees who
32 are not subject to an experience-based annual salary schedule shall be paid at the following rates
33 by rank:
34Rank  2025-2027 Biennium
35      Sergeant  $120,750
36      First Sergeant  $132,825
37      Lieutenant  $146,108
38      Captain  $160,718
39      Major  $176,790
40      Lieutenant Colonel  $194,469
41      Deputy Commander  $204,193
42      Colonel  $224,612
43
44 JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAM SUPPORT AND STAFFING
45SECTION 5. Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, there is appropriated from the
46 General Fund to the Department of Public Safety, Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
47 Prevention (JJDP), the sum of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) in recurring funds to
48 address staffing shortfalls and stabilize juvenile facility operations and juvenile court services,
49 including recruitment and retention initiatives for hard-to-fill positions, experience-based salary
50 schedule implementation or other compensation adjustments for frontline and supervisory
51 classifications, training and onboarding capacity, and temporary staffing measures necessary to
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1 maintain safe staffing coverage while vacancies are filled. The JJDP shall report to the Joint
2 Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the Fiscal Research Division, and
3 the chairs of the House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees no later than
4 March 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, on the use of funds and outcomes, including vacancy
5 rates, turnover, time-to-hire, and overtime hours.
6
7 STATE CRIME LAB WORKFORCE COMPETITIVENESS
8SECTION 6. Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, there is appropriated from the
9 General Fund to the Department of Justice, the sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) in
10 recurring funds to support the State Crime Laboratory in recruiting and retaining qualified
11 personnel in a competitive labor market, including salary adjustments, targeted recruitment and
12 retention incentives for hard-to-fill positions, and related workforce supports necessary to
13 maintain timely and reliable forensic services. The Department shall report to the Fiscal Research
14 Division and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety by March
15 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, on the use of funds and outcomes, including vacancy rates,
16 turnover, time-to-hire, and turnaround times for major casework disciplines.
17
18 ENHANCE THE BENEFITS OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO ARE MEMBERS
19 OF THE TEACHERS' AND STATE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM
20SECTION 7.(a) G.S. 135-1 reads as rewritten:
21 "§ 135-1. Definitions.
22     The following words and phrases as used in this Chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly
23 required by the context, shall have the following meanings:
24…
25(7e) "Correctional officer" means an employee of an employer who is certified as
26a State criminal justice officer under the provisions of Article 1 of Chapter
2717C of the General Statutes.
28…
29(11c) "Law-Enforcement Officer" means a full-time paid employee of an employer
30who is actively serving in a position with assigned primary duties and
31responsibilities for prevention and detection of crime or the general
32enforcement of the criminal laws of the State of North Carolina or serving
33civil processes, and who possesses the power of arrest by virtue of an oath
34administered under the authority of the State. "Law-Enforcement Officer" also
35means a all of the following:
36a.      A probation/parole officer as defined in this section with respect to any
37service rendered on or after July 1, 2017.
38b.      A correctional officer, as defined in this section, with respect to any
39service rendered on or after July 1, 2026.
40…."
41SECTION 7.(b) G.S. 143-166.41 reads as rewritten:
42 "§ 143-166.41. Special separation allowance options for State law enforcement officers.
43     …
44     (b)     Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section:
45(1)     Allowance. – The annual special separation allowance for State law
46enforcement officers provided for under this section.
47(1a) Correctional officer. – As defined in G.S. 135-1.
48(2)     Creditable service. – The service for which credit is allowed under the
49retirement system of which the officer is a member.
50(3)     Law enforcement officer. – As defined in either G.S. 135-1 or
51G.S. 143-166.30(a).
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1(4)    Officer. – A law enforcement officer.
2(5)    Probation/parole officer. – As defined in G.S. 135-1.
3     (b1) Eligibility for Allowance and Calculation of Allowance Amount. – To be eligible for
4 an allowance under this section, an officer is required to meet one of the following sets of criteria
5 that shall also determine the allowance amount:
6(1)    For officers meeting all of the following criteria, the annual special separation
7allowance to be paid is equal to eighty-five hundredths percent (0.85%) of the
8annual base rate of compensation most recently applicable to the officer for
9each year of that officer's creditable service:
10a.      The officer (i) has completed 30 or more years of creditable service or
11(ii) is 55 years of age or older and completed five or more years of
12creditable service.
13b.      The officer is less than 62 years of age.
14c.      The officer has completed at least five years of continuous service as
15a law enforcement officer immediately preceding the officer's service
16retirement. Any break in this required continuous service that is a
17result of disability retirement or disability salary continuation benefits
18shall not adversely affect an officer's qualification to receive an
19allowance under this subdivision so long as the officer returned to
20service within 45 days after the disability benefits had ceased and is
21otherwise qualified to receive the allowance.
22d.      At least fifty percent (50%) of the officer's creditable service is as
23meets one or more of the following:
241.       The service is as a law enforcement officer, or for officer.
252.       For service prior to July 1, 2017, the service is as a
26probation/parole officer.
273.       For service prior to July 1, 2026, the service is as a correctional
28officer.
29(2)    For officers meeting all of the following criteria, the annual special separation
30allowance to be paid is equal to eighty-five hundredths percent (0.85%) of the
31annual equivalent of the base rate of compensation at the time the officer
32attained 30 years of service multiplied by 30:
33a.      Prior to attaining 62 years of age, the officer has completed 30 or more
34years of creditable service, at least fifty percent (50%) of which was
35the officer's creditable service met one or more of the following:
361.       The service was as a law enforcement officer, or for officer.
372.       For service prior to July 1, 2017, the service was as a
38probation/parole officer.
393.       For service prior to July 1, 2026, the service was as a
40correctional officer.
41b.      The officer has completed at least five years of continuous service as
42a law enforcement officer immediately preceding the officer's service
43retirement. Any break in this required continuous service that is a
44result of disability retirement or disability salary continuation benefits
45shall not adversely affect an officer's qualification to receive an
46allowance under this subdivision so long as the officer returned to
47service within 45 days after the disability benefits had ceased and is
48otherwise qualified to receive the allowance.
49     If an officer meets all of the criteria under each subdivision of this subsection, then the
50 employer making the allowance payments shall allow the officer to choose which of the two
51 calculation formulas to use for that officer's allowance. This election by the officer is a one-time,
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1 irrevocable election and shall be made prior to the first allowance payment. If no election is made
2 by the officer, then the calculation amount under subdivision (2) of this subsection shall be used.
3     …."
4SECTION 7.(c) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of
5 State Treasurer the sum of eleven million dollars ($11,000,000) in recurring funds beginning in
6 the 2026-2027 fiscal year for the purposes of providing the enhanced benefits under this section.
7SECTION 7.(d) This section is effective July 1, 2026.
8
9 EFFECTIVE DATE
10SECTION 8. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes
11 law.
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