Bill > S358

This bill significantly expands North Carolina's hate crimes legal framework by increasing the scope and punishment of hate crimes, creating a comprehensive hate crimes statistics database, mandating specialized law enforcement training, and requiring prosecutor education. The bill broadens the definition of hate crimes to include additional protected characteristics such as gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, and sexual orientation, and increases potential criminal penalties for offenses motivated by bias against these characteristics. Under the new provisions, if a misdemeanor or felony is committed partly or wholly due to the actual or perceived characteristics of a victim, the offender can face enhanced criminal charges, with potential upgrades from misdemeanors to felonies. The legislation also introduces civil remedies allowing victims or their immediate family members to seek damages, including compensation for emotional distress. Additionally, the bill requires the State Bureau of Investigation to establish a hate crimes statistics database, mandating monthly reporting from law enforcement agencies and annual public reporting. The North Carolina Justice Academy must develop training for law enforcement on identifying, responding to, and reporting hate crimes, and the Conference of District Attorneys must provide training for prosecutors on hate crime prosecution. The bill will become effective at various stages between July 2025 and December 2025, with initial funding of approximately $2.42 million allocated to support implementation.

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S358