Bill > H182

This bill makes two significant changes to North Carolina law regarding domestic and child abuse. First, it expands the existing law on permanent no contact orders to broaden the definition of "violent offense" and allow judges to issue permanent no contact orders that not only protect the victim but also the victim's immediate family. The order can prohibit the defendant from threatening, following, harassing, or contacting the victim or their family, and can prevent the defendant from entering specified locations like workplaces or schools. Second, the bill modifies child abuse laws to explicitly criminalize additional forms of abuse, including adding a new provision that makes it a Class B2 felony when a caregiver routinely inflicts physical injury on a child and deprives them of necessary basic needs with the intent to cause fear, emotional injury, or derive sexual gratification. The bill also clarifies definitions of serious bodily injury and adds more specificity to what constitutes gross negligence in child care. These changes will become effective on December 1, 2025, and will apply to offenses committed on or after that date, with existing prosecutions unaffected by the new law.

Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H182