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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 2
HOUSE BILL 923
Committee Substitute Favorable 4/29/25
Short Title: Protect Personal Info/Judicial Personnel. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 14, 2025
*H923-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE RE MOVAL OF PERSONAL ID ENTIFYING INFORMATIO N 2
FROM WEBSITES MAINTAINED BY THE STATE, C OUNTIES, AND CITIES WHEN 3
REQUESTED BY CERTAIN PROSECUTORS, PUBLIC DEFENDERS, AND JUDICIAL 4
PERSONNEL. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. Chapter 132 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 7
section to read: 8
"§ 1 32-20. Removal of personal identifying information from public websites; judicial 9
personnel. 10
(a) Any judicial official may request, in writing, that all personal identifying information 11
be removed from any website, online computer database, or geographical information system 12
maintained by any public age ncy and available to the general public , provided the request 13
includes all of the following: 14
(1) The name of the judicial official. 15
(2) Information indicating the judicial official is eligible to make the request. 16
(3) The specific personal identifying information to be removed. 17
(b) Each public agency shall develop and make available a process by which any judicial 18
official may request remov al of that individual 's personal identifying information from any 19
website, online computer database, or geographical information system maintained by the public 20
agency and available to the general public. The request to remove personal identifying 21
information may also include a request to remove the personal identifying information of the 22
individual's spouse. 23
(c) The public agency must remove the personal identifying information if requested in 24
accordance with this section. The personal identifying information removed in accordance with 25
this section shall not be made available online again unless the public agency receives a written 26
revocation from the judicial official who made the original request. Personal identifying 27
information removed in accordance with this section continues to be a public record if it would 28
otherwise be subject to disclosure under this Chapter. 29
(d) Neither the request to remove the personal identifying information nor the revocation 30
of the request is a public record as defined by G.S. 132-1, and the public agency shall keep the 31
request and any revocation confidential. 32
(e) A public agency and its officers, officials, employees, and agents, both past and 33
present, in their official and individual capacity, shall be immune and held harmless from liability 34
in any action brought by or on behalf of any person injured or harmed by the action or in action, 35
in good faith, of the public agency or its officers, officials, employees, and agents in 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 923-Second Edition
implementing the provisions of this section. However, if the actions of an officer, official, 1
employee, or agent which result in harm were not within the cours e and scope of the duties of 2
the officer, official, employee, or agent, the officer, official, employee, or agent may be subject 3
to liability as an individual to the extent permitted by the laws of this State. 4
(f) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: 5
(1) Judicial official. – Any of the following individuals, while serving in that 6
capacity: 7
a. A magistrate. 8
b. A justice or judge of the general court of justice. 9
c. A district attorney or assistant district attorney. 10
d. An assistant attorney general employed by the North Carolina 11
Department of Justice. 12
e. A United States Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney, or Special 13
Assistant United States Attorney. 14
f. A public defender or assistant public defender. 15
g. A federal judge. 16
h. A clerk of the superior court. 17
i. A resource prosecutor employed by the Conference of District 18
Attorneys. 19
(2) Personal identifying information. – Excluding the name of the individual, any 20
of the following: 21
a. A physical residential address. 22
b. A personal phone number. 23
c. Any identifying information as defined in G.S. 14-113.20(b). 24
d. A birth certificate. 25
e. A marriage certificate." 26
SECTION 2. G.S. 132-6.1(a1) reads as rewritten: 27
"(a1) Notwithstanding G.S. 132-6.2(a), a public agency may satisfy the requirement under 28
G.S. 132-6 to provide access to public records in computer databases by making public records 29
in computer databases individually available online in a format that allows a person to view the 30
public record and print or save the public record to obtain a copy. A public agency that provides 31
access to public records under this subsection is not required to provide access to the public 32
records in the computer database in any other way; provided, however, that a a public agency 33
that provides access to public records under this subsection shall comply with G.S. 132-20 to 34
remove any personal identifying information from an online computer database upon the request 35
of a judicial official. A public agency that provides access to public records in computer databases 36
under this subsection shall also allow inspection of any of such public records that the public 37
agency also maintains in a nondigital medium." 38
SECTION 3. G.S. 132-10 reads as rewritten: 39
"§ 132-10. Qualified exception for geographical information systems. 40
(a) Geographical information systems databases and data files developed and operated 41
by counties and cities are public records within the meaning of this Chapter. The county or city 42
shall provide public acces s to such systems by public access terminals or other output devices. 43
Upon request, the county or city shall furnish copies, in documentary or electronic form, to 44
anyone requesting them at reasonable cost. As a condition of furnishing an electronic copy, 45
whether on magnetic tape, magnetic disk, compact disk, or photo-optical device, a county or city 46
may require that the person obtaining the copy agree in writing that the copy will not be resold 47
or otherwise used for trade or commercial purposes. 48
(b) A county or city shall comply with G.S. 132-20 to remove any personal identifying 49
information from a geographical information system database upon the request of a judicial 50
official. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 923-Second Edition Page 3
(c) For purposes of this section, publication or broadcast by the news me dia, real estate 1
trade associations, or Multiple Listing Services operated by real estate trade associations shall 2
not constitute a resale or use of the data for trade or commercial purposes and use of information 3
without resale by a licensed professional in the course of practicing the professional's profession 4
shall not constitute use for a commercial purpose. For purposes of this section, resale at cost by 5
a real estate trade association or Multiple Listing Services operated by a real estate trade 6
association shall not constitute a resale or use of the data for trade or commercial purposes." 7
SECTION 4. G.S. 153A-98(c4) reads as rewritten: 8
"(c4) Even if considered part of an employee's personnel file, the following information 9
regarding any sworn law enforcement officer shall not be disclosed to an employee or any other 10
person, unless disclosed in accordance with G.S. 132-1.4, or in accordance with G.S. 132-1.10, 11
or for the personal safety of that sworn law enforcement officer or any other person residing in 12
the same residence: 13
(1) Information that might identify concerning the residence of a sworn law 14
enforcement officer. 15
(2) Emergency contact information. 16
(3) Any identifying information as defined in G.S. 14-113.20." 17
SECTION 5. G.S. 160A-168(c4) reads as rewritten: 18
"(c4) Even if considered part of an employee's personnel file, the following information 19
regarding any sworn law enforcement officer shall not be disclosed to an employee or any other 20
person, unless disclosed in accordance with G.S. 132-1.4, or in accordance with G.S. 132-1.10, 21
or for the personal safety of that sworn law enforcement officer or any other person residing in 22
the same residence: 23
(1) Information that might identify concerning the residence of a sworn law 24
enforcement officer. 25
(2) Emergency contact information. 26
(3) Any identifying information as defined in G.S. 14-113.20." 27
SECTION 6. This act is effective January 1, 2027. 28