Crimes Against Minors/Revise Law.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 449

Short Title: Crimes Against Minors/Revise Law. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Balkcom, Pyrtle, Stevens, and Miller (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
March 20, 2025
*H449-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO INCREASE T HE PUNISHMENT FOR CO MMITTING THE OFFENSE OF 2
SOLICITATION OF MINO RS BY COMPUTER; TO R EQUIRE CERTAIN PETIT IONS 3
PERTAINING TO SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION BE PLACED ON THE CRIMINAL 4
DOCKET; AND TO ESTAB LISH THE OFFENSES OF HABITUAL INDECENT 5
EXPOSURE AND AGGRAVATED HABITUAL INDECENT EXPOSURE. 6
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
8
INCREASE THE PUNISHMENT FOR COMMITTING THE OFFENSE OF 9
SOLICITATION OF MINORS BY COMPUTER 10
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 14-202.3(c) reads as rewritten: 11
"(c) Punishment. – A violation of this section is punishable as follows: 12
(1) A Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, a first 13
violation is a Class H felony except as provided by subdivision (2) of this 14
subsection.E felony. A second or subsequent violation of this section, or a first 15
violation of this section committed when the defendant had a prior conviction 16
in any federal or state court in the United States that is substantially similar to 17
the offense set forth in this section, is a Class D felony. 18
(2) If either the defendant, or any other person for whom the defendant was 19
arranging the meeting in violation of this section, actually appears at the 20
meeting location, then the violation is a Class G C felony." 21
SECTION 1.(b) This section becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to 22
offenses committed on or after that date. 23
24
REQUIRE CERTAIN PETITIONS PERTAINING TO SEX OFFENDER 25
REGISTRATION BE PLACED ON THE CRIMINAL DOCKET 26
SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 14-208.12B(b) reads as rewritten: 27
"(b) The petition shall be filed in the county in which the person resides using a form 28
created by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The petition must be filed with the clerk of 29
court within 30 days of the person's receipt of the notification of the requirement to register from 30
the sheriff. The person filing the petition must serve a copy of the petition on the office of the 31
district attorney and the sheriff in the county where the person resides within three days of filing 32
the petition with the clerk of court. The clerk, upon receipt of the petition, shall place the petition 33
on the criminal docket to be calendared by the district attorney pursuant to G.S. 7A-49.4. The 34
petition shall be calendared at the next regularly scheduled term of sup erior court. At the first 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 449-First Edition
setting, the petitioner must be advised of the right to have counsel present at the hearing and to 1
the appointment of counsel if the petitioner cannot afford to retain counsel. Appointment of 2
counsel shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the Office of Indigent Defense Services." 3
SECTION 2.(b) This section becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to 4
petitions filed on or after that date. 5
6
ESTABLISH THE OFFENSES OF HABITUAL INDECENT EXPOSURE AND 7
AGGRAVATED HABITUAL INDECENT EXPOSURE 8
SECTION 3.(a) G.S. 14-190.9 reads as rewritten: 9
"§ 14-190.9. Indecent exposure. 10
… 11
(a6) A person commits the offense of habitual indecent exposure if that person commits a 12
violation of subsection (a), (a2), (a4), or (a5) of this section and has two or more prior convictions 13
under any combination of subsection (a), (a1), (a2), (a4), or (a5) of this section . A person 14
convicted of violating this subsection is guilty of a Class F felony. Additionally, the sentencing 15
court shall require the person to register as a sex offender pursuant to Article 27A of this Chapter. 16
(a7) A person commits the offense of aggravated habitual indecent exposure if that person 17
commits a violation of subsection (a1) of this section and has two or more prior convictions under 18
any combination of subsection (a), (a1), (a2), (a4), or (a5) of this section. A person convicted of 19
violating this subsection is guilty of a Class E felony. Additionally, the sentencing court shall 20
require the person to register as a sex offender pursuant to Article 27A of this Chapter. 21
…." 22
SECTION 3.(b) G.S. 14-208.6(4) reads as rewritten: 23
"(4) Reportable conviction. – Any of the following: 24
… 25
g. A final conviction for a violation of subsection (a6) or (a7) of 26
G.S. 14-190.9." 27
28
CRIMINAL SAVINGS CLAUSE AND EFFECTIVE DATE 29
SECTION 4.(a) Prosecutions for offenses committed before the effective date of 30
this act are not abated or affected by this act, and the statutes that would be applicable but for 31
this act remain applicable to those prosecutions. 32
SECTION 4.(b) Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 33
law. 34