A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT increasing the penalty for damaging or removing street signs and providing that reward funds for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person who damages or removes street signs shall be deducted from the 911 fund.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 136‑33 reads as rewritten:
"§ 136‑33.  Damaging or removing signs; rewards.
(a)	No person shall willfully deface, damage, knock down or remove any sign posted as provided in G.S. 136‑26 or G.S. 136‑30.
(b)	No person, without just cause or excuse, shall have in his possession any highway sign as provided in G.S. 136‑26 or G.S. 136‑30.
(b1)	Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(c)	The Department of Transportation is authorized to offer a reward not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons who violate the provisions of this section, such reward to be paid from funds of the 911 Fund established under G.S. 143B‑1404.
(d)	The enforcement of this section shall be the specific responsibility and duty of the State Highway Patrol in addition to all other law‑enforcement agencies and officers within this State."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 143B‑1404 reads as rewritten:
"§ 143B‑1404.  911 Fund.
…
(a1)	Reward Funds. – The 911 Board shall deduct and retain one percent (1%) of the total service charges remitted to it under G.S. 143B‑1403 for deposit in the 911 Fund for the purpose of funding the reward under G.S. 136‑33(c).
…."
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.