Read the full stored bill text
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
SESSION LAW 2026-53
HOUSE BILL 206
*H206-v-6*
AN ACT TO ENACT MODI FICATIONS AS RECOMME NDED BY THE NORTH
CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, TO AUTHORIZE TRIBAL POLICE
CHIEFS TO ENTER INTO MUTUAL AID AGREEMEN TS WITH OTHER LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES , AND TO MODIFY THE LAW RELATED TO THE
CONFIRMATION OF THE ADJUTANT GENERAL.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
AIRPORT LEASE AUTHORITY
SECTION 1.(a) The North Carolina Department of Public Safety and North Carolina
Air National Guard are granted independent signature authority to accept an additional 50 -year
land use license from the United States Air Force for the approximately 114.19 acres at the Stanly
County Airport that extends current License No. DACA21 -3-94-0983 through calendar year
2093.
SECTION 1.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law.
ALLOW DONATION OF CERTAIN VEHICLES
SECTION 3.(a) The Division of Emergency Management at the Department of
Public Safety is authorized to transfer ownership of travel trailers and utility terrain vehicles that
were donated to or purchased by the State during disaster operations to any of the following:
local governments, nonprofit organizations working in emergency response or disaster relief, or
to survivors with a need for long-term housing support.
SECTION 3.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law.
VICTIM COMPENSATION CHANGES
SECTION 5.(a) G.S. 15B-2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 15B-2. Definitions.
As used in this Article, the following definitions apply, unless the context requires otherwise:
…
(7) Dependent's economic loss. – Loss after a victim's death of contributions of
things of economic value to his dependents, not including services they would
have received from the victim if he had not suffered the fatal injury, less
expenses of the dependents avoided by reason of the victim's death.
Dependent's economic loss will be limited to a 26 -week period commencing
from the date of the inju ry, and compensation shall not exceed three four
hundred dollars ($300.00) ($400.00) per week.
…
(10a) Household support loss. – The loss of support that a victim would have
received from the victim's spouse for the purpose of maintaining a home or
residence for the victim and the victim's dependents. A victim may be
compensated fifty one hundred dollars ($50.00) ($100.00) per week for each
dependent child. Compensation for household support loss shall not exceed
Page 2 Session Law 2026-53 House Bill 206
three four hundred dollars ($300.00) ($400.00) per week and shall be limited
to 26 weeks commencing from the date of the injury. A victim may recei ve
only one compensation for household support loss. Household support loss is
only available to an unemployed a victim whose spouse is the offender who
committed the criminally injurious conduct that is the basis of the victim's
claim under this act.
…
(14) Work loss. – Loss of income from work that the injured person would have
performed if he had not been injured and expenses reasonably incurred by him
to obtain services in lieu of those he would have performed for income,
reduced by any income from subs titute work actually performed by him, or
by income he would have earned in available appropriate substitute work that
he was capable of performing but unreasonably failed to undertake.
Compensation for work loss will be limited to 26 weeks commencing from
the date of the injury, and compensation shall not exceed three four hundred
dollars ($300.00) ($400.00) per week. A claim for work loss will be paid only
upon proof that the injured person was gainfully employed at the time of the
criminally injurious conduct and, by physician's certificate, that the injured
person was unable to work."
SECTION 5.(b) G.S. 15B-6(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b) The Director shall have all of the following authority:
(1) With the consent of the district attorney, to request that law enforcement
officers employed by the State or any political subdivision provide copies of
any information or data gathered in the investigation of criminally injurious
conduct that is the basis of any claim to enable the Director or Commission to
determine whether, and the extent to which, a claimant qualifies for an award
of compensation.
(2) With the consent of the district attorney, to request that prosecuting attorneys,
law enforcement officers, and State agencies conduct investigations and
provide information necessary to enable the Director or Commission to
determine whether, and the extent to which, a claimant qualifies for an award
of compensation.
(3) To require the claimant to supplement the application for an award of
compensation with any reasonably available medical or psychological reports
pertaining to the injury for which the award of compensation is claimed.
(4) To utilize the sums remaining in the fund in any particular fiscal year to
promote the mission of the Commission through ou treach awareness
measures.training for crime victim advocates, law enforcement, and service
providers on the needs of crime victims, grants for agencies to assist victims
of crime with seeking compensation benefits, provision of referral and claim
services for crime victims, and analysis of violent crime and victimization in
North Carolina to better support victim compensation. Up to six hundred
thousand dollars ($600,000) of accrued funds may be used one time to develop
and implement an online submission a nd communication system for crime
victim service providers.
Information obtained pursuant to this subsection is subject to the same privilege against
public disclosure that may be asserted by the providing source."
SECTION 5.(c) G.S. 15B-10(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a) The Director Director, or the Director 's designee, shall decide the award of
compensation for an initial claim or follow -up claim when the claim does not exceed twelve
House Bill 206 Session Law 2026-53 Page 3
thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500) and does not include future economic loss. The Director
shall report all awards under this subsection to the Commission."
SECTION 5.(d) G.S. 15B-11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 15B-11. Grounds for denial of claim or reduction of award.
(a) An award of compensation shall be denied if any of the following apply:
(1) The claimant fails to file an application for an award within two years after
the date of the criminally injurious conduct that caused the injury or death for
which the claimant seeks the award.
(2) The economic loss is incurred after one year from the date of the criminally
injurious conduct that caused the injury or death for which the victim seeks
the award, except in the case where the victim for whom compensation is
sought was 10 18 years old or younger at the time the injury occurred. In that
case an award of compensation will be denied if the economic loss is incurred
after two years from the date of the criminally injurious conduct that caused
the injury or death for which the victim seeks the award.award, unless the
minor victim has new medical or counseling expenses directly attributable to
the crime.
…
(c1) A claim may be denied upon a finding that the claimant has been convicted of any
felony classified as a Class A, B1, B2, C, D, or E felony under the laws of the State of North
Carolina and that such felony was committed within 3 years of the time the victi m's injury
occurred.occurred and that such felony could reasonably be associated with the violent incident.
…."
SECTION 5.(e) G.S. 15B-15 reads as rewritten:
"§ 15B-15. Clerks of court to be notified.
The Director shall notify in writing or by electronic means the clerk of superior court of the
county in which the offense occurred of any award made from the Crime Victims Compensation
Fund to the victim. The clerk shall place the notice in the case file of any defendant charged with
the offense that gave rise to the award to the victim."
SECTION 5.(f) G.S. 15B-26(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c) A When a creditor has been notified by a victim that an application for a victim
compensation claim is pending , the creditor may request monthly verification from the
Commission that the application or appeal is still pending, and the Commission shall provide this
verification."
SECTION 5.(g) This section is effective when it becomes law.
AUTHORIZE TRIBAL POLICE CHIEFS TO ENTER INTO MUTUAL AID
AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
SECTION 7.(a) G.S. 160A-288 reads as rewritten:
"§ 160A-288. Cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
…
(b) As used in this section:
(1) "Head" means any director or chief officer of a law enforcement agency
including the chief of police of a local department, chief of police of a county
police department, and the sheriff of a county, county, and chief of a tribal
police department, or an officer of one of the above named agencies to whom
the head of that agency has delegated authority to make or grant requests under
this section, but only one officer in the agency shall have this delegated
authority at any time.
(2) "Law enforcement agency" or "agency" means a municipal police department,
a county police department, or a sheriff's office of this State. State, or any
Page 4 Session Law 2026-53 House Bill 206
tribal police department described in G.S. 1E-11. Subject to G.S. 15A-403, it
also includes a municipal police department, a county police department, or a
sheriff's office of another state if the laws of the other state allow for the
provision of mutual aid with out -of-state law enforcement officers. All other
State and local agencies are exempted from the provisions of this section.
…."
SECTION 7.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law.
ADJUTANT GENERAL CONFIRMATION
SECTION 8.(a) G.S. 127A-19 reads as rewritten:
"§ 127A-19. Adjutant General.
(a) The military head of the militia shall be the Adjutant General who shall hold the rank
of major general with federal recognition at time of appointment or attain the rank of major
general pursuant to this section. The Adjutant General shall be appointed by the Governor in the
Governor's capacity as commander in chief of the militia, in consultation with the Secretary of
Public Safety, and shall be subject to confirmation by the General Assembly by joint resolution.
The Governor shall submit the name of the person to be appointed, for confirmation by the
General Assembly, to the General Assembly by May 1 of the year in which the Adjutant General
is to be appointed. If the Governor does not submit the name by that date, the President Pro
Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Hou se of Representatives shall submit a name to
the General Assembly on or before May 15 of the same year. The appointment shall then be made
by enactment of a bill. The bill shall state the name of the person being appointed, the of fice to
which the appointment is being made , the residence of the appointee, and that the appointment
is being made upon the joint recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. If there is no vacancy in the office of the Adjutant
General and a bill that would confirm the appointment of the person as Adjutant General fails a
reading in either chamber of the General Assembly, then the Governor shall submit a new name
within 30 days.
Following appoin tment pursuant to this section, the Adjutant General shall serve at the
pleasure of the Governor. The Adjutant General, while holding this office, shall be a member of
the active North Carolina National Guard. If an appointed Adjutant General does not atta in the
rank of major general with federal recognition within a reasonable period of time from the date
of appointment, the Governor shall replace the Adjutant General with an appointee who meets
the criteria in in, and is appointed in accordance with, this section. A "reasonable period of time"
shall take into account time in grade requirements for promotion or promotions and
administrative periods necessary to complete the promotion process.
(a1) In case of a vacancy in the office of the Adjutant General, the name of the Adjutant
General's successor shall be submitted by the Governor to the General Assembly not later than
60 days after the vacancy arises. If a vacancy arises in th e office when the General Assembly is
not in session, an acting Adjutant General shall be appointed by the Governor to serve pending
confirmation by the General Assembly. However, in no event shall an acting Adjutant General
serve (i) for more than 12 months without General Assembly confirmation or (ii) after a bill that
would confirm the appointment of the person as Adjutant General fails a reading in either
chamber of the General Assembly.
…."
SECTION 8.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law.
House Bill 206 Session Law 2026-53 Page 5
EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 9. Except as otherwise provided, this act is e ffective when it becomes
law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 1st day of July, 2026.
s/ Rachel Hunt
President of the Senate
s/ Destin Hall
Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ Josh Stein
Governor
Approved 9:50 a.m. this 7th day of July, 2026