More than a dozen new laws are in effect in North Carolina, here's the list
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- There are more than a dozen new bills in effect as of Dec. 1 in North Carolina. The new laws cover a wide variety of areas including human trafficking and the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Several of the bills are now law after veto overrides by lawmakers. Some of the new laws taking effect are part of or amendments to bills already in effect.
Some of the most controversial bills taking effect include Bill 834, the Juvenile Justice Modifications, which allows 16 and 17-year-olds who commit certain felony crimes to be tried as an adult.
Another is the law that now restricts when a person can wear a face mask in public. House Bill 237 or the Unmasking Mobs and Criminals Act; the bill aims to make it easier to prosecute people trying to hide behind a mask while committing a crime. This would repeal the pandemic-era exemption that allowed mask-wearing for health reasons. The bill also includes laws that prohibit individuals from standing, sitting or lying on highways or streets in a manner that impedes traffic.
The other is a new campaign financing law. Gov. Roy Cooper originally vetoed the bill saying it "creates a loophole for secret, unlimited campaign money."
House Bill 10 requires sheriff's offices across the state to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They must hold a suspect thought to be in the country unlawfully for up to 48 hours to give ICE time to take custody of the person. HB10 also includes another law taking effect this month--school vouchers which will allocate about $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program for grants for parents who want their children to attend private or religious K-12 schools.
SEE ALSO | New North Carolina laws that take effect in January 2024
In no particular order here's a look at some of the new NC laws:
House Bill 900: This bill allows Wake County to replace Saint Augustine's University as the higher education partner for its two leadership academies, the Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy and Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy. It also includes measures to curb youth access to products containing tobacco, nicotine and other related substances.
House Bill 199: Various parts to this law target the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). One includes a requirement that DMV makes a plan to issue a digital version of a driver's license by the time this part of the bill goes into effect on July 1, 2025.
House Bill 198: Changes to several NCDOT laws including a requirement that toll bills have vehicle identification numbers or other vehicle identifying information on the document. Processing fees for unpaid tolls increase under the new bill. The law also allows billboard companies to cut down more trees along state highways.
SEE ALSO | New North Carolina laws that took effect in July 2024
Senate Bill 166: Building Codes. This bill includes various changes to current requirements on building codes.
House Bill 591: Sex Crimes. This bill seeks to establish sexual extortion offenses, update offenses related to sexual exploitation of a minor, update sex offender and public protection registration programs and clarify the offense of disclosure of private images.
House Bill 971: Human Trafficking. The new law directs the Department of Labor to develop human trafficking awareness training for lodging establishments, accommodation facilitators, and property managers for vacation rentals to implement human trafficking awareness training. The bill also makes changes to penalties for trafficking-related arrests.
House Bill 600 is related to hog farms regulations. The law makes changes to watershed provisions and could limit how the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) reviews hog farm permits. This was another bill that Cooper vetoed, saying it "will result in dirtier water, discriminatory permitting and threats to North Carolina's environment.
Click on New NC Laws to see full list
*Video playing is from the previous story on the mask law*
