A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to permit capital appellate and postconviction counsel reasonable access to their clients following decisions by the courts with respect to their clients' sentences.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 7A‑451 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(e1)	When the Supreme Court of North Carolina files an opinion affirming or reversing the judgment of the trial court in a case in which the defendant was sentenced to death, or files an opinion or decision with regard to such a defendant's postconviction petition for relief from a sentence of death, or when any federal court files or issues an opinion or decision in such circumstances, the Department of Correction shall, on the day the opinion or decision is filed or issued, permit counsel for the defendant to visit the defendant at the institution at which the defendant is confined. The visit shall be permitted during regular business hours for not less than one hour, unless a visit outside regular business hours is agreed to by both the institution's administrator and counsel for the defendant. This section shall not be construed to abridge the adequate and reasonable opportunity for attorneys to consult with clients sentenced to death generally and shall not be construed to mandate an attorney visit during an emergency at the institution at which a defendant is confined."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.