A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to make it a crime to smuggle a human being for profit or commercial purpose.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Chapter 14 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 14‑43.14.  Smuggling of human beings for profit or commercial purpose.
It is unlawful for a person intentionally to engage in the smuggling of human beings for profit or commercial purpose. A violation of this section is a Class D felony. As used in this section, the term 'smuggling of human beings' means the transportation, or procurement of transportation, by a person or entity that knows or has reason to know that the person or persons transported, or to be transported, are not United States citizens, permanent resident aliens, or persons who are otherwise lawfully present in the United States. A person's race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, or any combination of these traits shall not, for purposes of this section, constitute a valid basis for concluding that a person knew or had reason to know that a person was not lawfully present in the United States."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2009, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.