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H137 • 2025

Gabe Torres Act.

Gabe Torres Act.

Budget
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Crawford, Pyrtle, Paré, Roberson, Ager, Almond, Alston, Belk, Branson, G. Brown, K. Brown, T. Brown, Buansi, Budd, Butler, Cairns, Campbell, Carney, Carver, Cervania, Clark, Cohn, Cunningham, Greenfield, Harrison, F. Jackson, Liu, Logan, Longest, McNeely, Miller, Morey, Moss, Penny, G. Pierce, R. Pierce, Prather, Price, Rhyne, Rubin, Scott, Carson Smith, von Haefen, Ward, White, Winslow, Zenger
Last action
2025-03-12
Official status
Re-ref Com On Appropriations
Effective date
2025-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Gabe Torres Act.

H137-SMDC-2(e1)-v-4 (2025-03-12): Gabe Torres Act.

What This Bill Does

  • H137-SMDC-2(e1)-v-4 (2025-03-12): Gabe Torres Act.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 137: Gabe Torres Act.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 137: Gabe Torres Act.
  • Committee: House Pensions and Retirement.
  • If favorable, re-refer to Appropriations.
  • If favorable, re - refer to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Date: March 6, 2025 Introduced by: Reps.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-12 House

    Re-ref Com On Appropriations

  2. 2025-03-12 House

    Reptd Fav

  3. 2025-02-18 House

    Ref to the Com on Pensions and Retirement, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  4. 2025-02-18 House

    Passed 1st Reading

  5. 2025-02-17 House

    Filed

Official Summary Text

H137-SMDC-2(e1)-v-4
(2025-03-12): Gabe Torres Act.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 137

Short Title: Gabe Torres Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Crawford, Pyrtle, Paré, and Roberson (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Pensions and Retirement, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules,
Calendar, and Operations of the House
February 18, 2025
*H137-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO HONOR THE LIFE OF GABE TORRES, A RALEIGH POLICE OF FICER 2
WHOSE LIFE CAME TO AN END WHILE HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO WORK AFTER 3
A TRAGIC ACT OF VIOL ENCE ON OCTOBER 13, 2022, BY EXPANDING 4
ELIGIBILITY UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES' DEATH BENEFITS ACT 5
TO INCLUDE INDIVIDUALS KILLED ON THE WAY TO OR FROM WORK. 6
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
SECTION 1. G.S. 143-166.2 reads as rewritten: 8
"§ 143-166.2. Definitions. 9
The following definitions apply in this Article: 10
… 11
(9) Official duties. – All duties to which an individual is assigned as part of the 12
individual's job function. This term shall also include those duties performed 13
by an individual while (i) en route to, engaged in, or returning from duty or 14
training; (ii) in the course of responding to, engaged in, or returning from a 15
call by the department of which the individual is a member; or (iii) in the 16
course of responding to, engaged in, or returning from a call for assistance 17
from any department or organ ization within the State of North Carolina or 18
within a service area contiguous to the borders of the State of North Carolina 19
when served or aided by a department from within the State of North Carolina. 20
While within the State of North Carolina, any covered person who renders 21
service or assistance, of his or her own volition, at the scene of an emergency, 22
is performing his or her official duties when both of the following apply: 23
…." 24
SECTION 2. Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund to 25
the Department of State Treasurer the sum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in 26
recurring funds for both years of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to be used for benefits under the 27
Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act. 28
SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law 29
and applies to applicable deaths of covered persons occurring on or after that date. 30