A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to support the work of the department of adult correction.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

PART I. COMMUNITY SUPERVISION

WAIVE TUITION FOR SURVIVORS OF FALLEN PROBATION OFFICERS
SECTION 1.1.(a)  G.S. 115B‑1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115B‑1.  Definitions.
The following definitions apply in this Chapter:
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(4)	Permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty. – A person: (i) who as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker suffered a disabling injury while in active service or training for active service, (ii) who at the time of active service or training was a North Carolina resident, and (iii) who has been determined to be permanently and totally disabled for compensation purposes by the North Carolina Industrial Commission.
(4c)	Probation officer. – An employee of an employer who is certified as a probation officer under the provisions of Article 1 of Chapter 17C of the General Statutes.
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(6)	Survivor. – Any person whose parent, legal guardian, legal custodian, or spouse: (i) was a law enforcement officer, a correctional officer, a probation officer, a firefighter, a volunteer firefighter, or a rescue squad worker, (ii) was killed while in active service or training for active service or died as a result of a service‑connected disability, and (iii) at the time of active service or training was a North Carolina resident. The term does not include the widow or widower of a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or a rescue squad worker if the widow or widower has remarried.
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SECTION 1.1.(b)  G.S. 115B‑2(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	The constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina and the community colleges as defined in G.S. 115D‑2(2) shall permit the following persons to attend classes for credit or noncredit purposes without the required payment of tuition:
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(2)	Any person who is the survivor of a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker killed as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty.
(3)	The spouse of a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker who is permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty.
(4)	Any child, if the child is at least 17 years old but not yet 24 years old, whose parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian is a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker who is permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty. However, a child's eligibility for a waiver of tuition under this Chapter shall not exceed: (i) 54 months, if the child is seeking a baccalaureate degree, or (ii) if the child is not seeking a baccalaureate degree, the number of months required to complete the educational program to which the child is applying.
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SECTION 1.1.(c)  G.S. 115B‑5(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	The officials of the institutions charged with administration of this Chapter shall require the following proof to insure that a person applying to the institution and who requests a tuition waiver under G.S. 115B‑2(a)(2), (3), or (4) is eligible for the benefits provided by this Chapter.
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(3)	The cause of death of the law enforcement officer, correctional officer, probation officer, firefighter, volunteer firefighter, or rescue squad worker shall be verified by certification from the records of the Department of State Treasurer, the appropriate city or county law enforcement agency that employed the deceased, the administrative agency for the fire department or fire protection district recognized for funding under the Department of State Auditor, or the administrative agency having jurisdiction over any paid firefighters of all counties and cities.
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SECTION 1.1.(d)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to waivers of tuition granted on or after that date.

MODIFY TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRONIC MONITORING/SATELLITE‑BASED MONITORING
SECTION 1.2.(a)  G.S. 15A‑101.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 15A‑101.1.  Electronic technology in criminal process and procedure.
As used in this Chapter, in Chapter 7A of the General Statutes, in Chapter 15 of the General Statutes, and in all other provisions of the General Statutes that deal with criminal process or procedure, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)	Attach or attached. – When referring to documents existing in paper form, physical attachment by staples, clips, or other mechanical means, or managed such that neither document is stored or delivered without the other. When referring to documents stored in electronic form, the term means either storage as a single digital file or storage in a manner that a user interface for access to the documents displays clearly the logical association between them, to the exclusion of other, unassociated documents displayed with them. When referring to documents delivered in electronic form, the term means documents delivered simultaneously and via the same mechanism or medium, including, but not limited to, any of the following: (i) delivery via a single email message, (ii) delivery on a single unit of removable electronic media, or (iii) delivery in immediate, contemporaneous sequence with one another from the same source to the same recipient. It is not necessary that the relationship between documents appear on the face of the documents in order to be deemed attached.
(1a)	Copy. – All identical versions of a document created or existing in paper or electronic form, including the original and all other identical versions of the document. Except where otherwise expressly provided by law or when authority is vested only in a certified copy, a copy of a document is equally authoritative as the original.
(2)	Document. – Any pleading, criminal process, subpoena, complaint, motion, application, notice, affidavit, commission, waiver, consent, dismissal, order, judgment, or other writing intended in a criminal or contempt proceeding to authorize or require an action, to record a decision or to communicate or record information. A document may be created and exist in paper form or in electronic form or in both forms. Each document shall contain the legible, printed name of the person who signed the document.
(3)	Electronic. – Relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, Internet, or similar capabilities.
(3a)	Electronic monitoring or electronically monitor or satellite‑based monitoring. – Monitoring with an electronic monitoring device that is not removed from a person's body, that is utilized by the supervising agency in conjunction with a Web‑based computer system that actively monitors, identifies, tracks, and records a person's location at least once every minute 24 hours a day, that timely records and reports or records the person's presence near or within a crime scene or prohibited area or the person's departure from a specified geographic location, and that has incorporated into the software the ability to automatically compare crime scene data with locations of all persons being electronically monitored so as to provide any correlation daily or in real time. In areas of the State where lack of cellular coverage requires the use of an alternative device, the supervising agency shall use an alternative device that works in concert with the software and records location and tracking data for later download and crime scene comparison.
(4)	Electronic repository. – An automated electronic repository for criminal process created and maintained pursuant to G.S. 15A‑301.1.
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(6)	Entered. – Signed and filed in the office of the clerk of superior court of the county in which the document is to be entered. A document may be entered in either paper form or electronic form.
(7)	Filing or filed. –
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(8)	Issued. – Applies to documents in either paper form or electronic form. A document that is first created in paper form is issued when it is signed. A document that is first created in electronic form is issued when it is signed and filed in the office of the clerk of superior court of the county for which it is to be issued.
(9)	Original. –
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(10)	Signature. – Any symbol, including, but not limited to, the name of an individual, which is executed by that individual, personally or through an authorized agent, with the intent to authenticate or to effect the issuance or entry of a document. A document may be signed by the use of any manual, mechanical, or electronic means that causes the individual's signature to appear in or on the document. Any party challenging the validity of a signature shall have the burden of pleading, producing evidence, and proving that the signature was not the act of the person whose signature it appears to be."
SECTION 1.2.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to an electronic monitoring device used on or after that date.

MODIFICATION OF POST‑RELEASE SUPERVISION REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 1.3.(a)  G.S. 143B‑1491(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	The granting, denying, revoking, or rescinding of parole, the authorization of work‑release privileges to a prisoner, or any other matters of business coming before the Commission for consideration and action shall be decided by majority vote of the full Commission, except that a three‑member panel of the Commission may decide questions of violations, including the issuance of warrants, and may decide questions of parole under G.S. 20‑179(p). Any single member of the Commission may set and modify the terms and conditions for a post‑release supervisee under G.S. 15A‑1368.4, may authorize the issuance of a letter of reprimand, and may continue an offender's supervision. In the event of a tie in a vote by the full Commission, the chair shall break the tie with an additional vote."
SECTION 1.3.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to actions taken by the Commission on or after that date.

PART II. INSTITUTIONS

SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR DETERMINATIONS
SECTION 2.1.(a)  G.S. 14‑208.20(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Prior to sentencing a person as a sexually violent predator, the court shall order a presentence investigation in accordance with G.S. 15A‑1332(c). However, the study of the defendant and whether the defendant is a sexually violent predator shall be conducted by a board of experts selected by the Division of Prisons of the Department of Adult Correction. The board of experts shall be composed of at least four people. Two of the board members shall be experts in the field of the behavior and treatment of sexual offenders, one of whom shall be selected from a panel of experts in those fields provided by the North Carolina Medical Society and not be employed full‑time with the Division of Prisons of the Department of Adult Correction or employed on a full‑time basis with any other State agency. One of the board members shall be a victims' rights advocate, and one of the board members shall be a representative of law enforcement agencies."
SECTION 2.1.(b)  This section becomes effective December 1, 2026, and applies to boards of experts selected on or after that date.

INCREASE LIMIT ON PURCHASES FROM CORRECTION ENTERPRISES
SECTION 2.2.  G.S. 148‑132 reads as rewritten:
"§ 148‑132.  Distribution of products and services.
The Division of Correction Enterprises of the Department of Adult Correction is empowered and authorized to market and sell products and services produced by Correction Enterprises to any of the following entities:
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(5)	Any current employee or retiree of the State of North Carolina, member, employee, or retiree of the North Carolina National Guard, or of a unit of local government of this State, verified through federal or State‑issued identification, or through proof of retirement status, but purchases by a State employee or retiree, National Guard member, employee, or retiree, or local governmental employee or retiree may not exceed four thousand dollars ($4,000) during any calendar year. Products purchased by State employees or retirees, National Guard members, employees or retirees, and local governmental employees and retirees under this section may not be resold.
…."

PART III. SUPPORT SERVICES

USE OF AVAILABLE FUNDS FOR REPAIR AND RENOVATION PURPOSES
SECTION 3.1.(a)  G.S. 143C‑8‑13 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(e)	Notwithstanding any provision of G.S. 143C‑8‑7 to the contrary, the Secretary of the Department of Adult Correction may pay for projects for repairs and renovations with funds available to the agency according to the following requirements:
(1)	The project meets all of the following requirements:
a.	The total project costs do not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000).
b.	The project is one of the types set forth in subdivisions (1) through (13) of subsection (a) of this section, regardless of whether the relevant facilities and related infrastructure are supported from the General Fund or the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund.
(2)	The Department reports on projects undertaken pursuant to this subsection to the Fiscal Research Division on a quarterly basis. The report shall include all of the following information for each project:
a.	The facility at which the project is being undertaken.
b.	The nature and scope of the project.
c.	The source of funds for the project.
d.	The category of projects set forth in subsection (a) of this section that the project falls within.
(3)	Any funds from a General Fund appropriation that are contractually obligated for a project pursuant to this subsection shall not revert at the end of the fiscal year but shall remain available to fund the completion of the project."
SECTION 3.1.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to payments for projects for repairs and renovations occurring on or after that date.

PART IV. OFFICE OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING (OSDT)

VESTED PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS MAINTAIN ELIGIBILITY FOR SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT WHEN SERVING IN CERTAIN ROLES
SECTION 4.1.(a)  G.S. 135‑1(17a) reads as rewritten:
"(17a)	"Probation/Parole Officer" shall mean a full‑time paid employee of the Division of Community Supervision and Reentry of the Department of Adult Correction whose duties include supervising, evaluating, or otherwise instructing offenders who have been placed on probation, parole, or post‑release supervision or have been assigned to any other community‑based program operated by the Division of Community Supervision and Reentry, or a full‑time paid employee of the Department of Adult Correction's Office of Staff Development and Training who is certified as a Probation/Parole Officer and works exclusively in a training role."
SECTION 4.1.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to determinations under Article 1 of Chapter 135 of the General Statutes made on or after that date.

part v. Reduce meeting requirement of state reentry council collaborative
SECTION 5.1.  G.S. 143B‑1484(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	The Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall chair the SRCC which shall meet at least annually upon the call of the chair. The SRCC shall study the needs of ex‑offenders who have been recently released from a correctional institution and to increase the effectiveness of local reentry councils."

PART Vi. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS

POST‑RELEASE SUPERVISION ELIGIBILITY AND PROCEDURE
SECTION 6.1.(a)  G.S. 15A‑1368.2(c1) reads as rewritten:
"(c1)	Notwithstanding subsection (c) of this section, a person required to submit to satellite‑based monitoring pursuant to G.S. 15A‑1368.4(b1)(6) shall continue to participate in satellite‑based monitoring beyond the period of post‑release supervision until the superior court in the county where the conviction occurred releases the person from that requirement pursuant to G.S. 14‑208.43."
SECTION 6.1.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to satellite‑based monitoring releases ordered on or after that date.

EXCLUDE DEPARTMENT OF ADULT CORRECTION INVESTIGATIONS FROM CERTAIN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESTRICTIONS
SECTION 6.2.(a)  G.S. 143‑805(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	Subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply to an official or employee that is engaged in any of the following activities in the course of that official's or employee's official duties:
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(8)	Investigating matters involving offenders incarcerated with, or otherwise under the supervision of, the Department of Adult Correction or matters related to the misuse of devices owned by the Department of Adult Correction."
SECTION 6.2.(b)  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to investigations occurring before, on, or after that date.

CLARIFY PROBATION AND PAROLE RECORDS ACCESS FOR CHEROKEE AND CATAWBA MARSHALS SERVICES
SECTION 6.3.  G.S. 1E‑20 reads as rewritten:
"§ 1E‑20.  Cherokee and Catawba Marshals Services.
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(c)	Notwithstanding any other provision of law, marshals of the Cherokee Marshals Service shall have access to all probation and parole records of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction to the same extent as a probation or post‑release supervision officer of the Department for any person over which the Cherokee Tribal Courts have jurisdiction to proceed in a criminal case and impose a sentence, including a fine, community service, or imprisonment. The Department may enter into a memorandum of understanding addressing the specifics of transferring information to the Cherokee Tribal Courts.
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(f)	Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Marshals of the Catawba Indian Nation shall have access to all probation and parole records of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction to the same extent as a probation or post‑release supervision officer of the Department for any person with the Catawba Nation Tribal Courts have jurisdiction to proceed in a criminal case and impose a sentence, including a fine, community service, or imprisonment. The Department may enter into a memorandum of understanding addressing the specifics of transferring information to the Catawba Nation Tribal Courts."

PART viI. SEVERABILITY AND EFFECTIVE DATE

SEVERABILITY CLAUSE
SECTION 7.1.  If any part, section, or provision of this act is declared unconstitutional or invalid by the courts, it does not affect the validity of this act as a whole or any part other than the part declared to be unconstitutional or invalid.

EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 7.2.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.