Supporting Parents Who Serve.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 347

Short Title: Supporting Parents Who Serve. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Chitlik and Mohammed (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 20, 2025
*S347-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PERMIT MEM BERS TO BE PRESENT A ND VOTING, AS 2
CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED, THROUGH THE U SE OF PROXY VOTING I N 3
CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. Article 3A of Chapter 120 of the General Statutes is amended by 6
adding a new section to read: 7
"§ 120-11.3. In-person voting by use of proxies. 8
(a) Findings. – The General Assembly of No rth Carolina finds that advances in 9
technology have allow ed meaningf ul participation even when persons are not physically 10
co-located. The General Assembly further finds that these advances allow a legislator to be 11
present and voting, as contemplated by the Constitution of North Carolina, even if not physically 12
located in the chamber at the time of the vote. 13
(b) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 14
(1) Reserved for future codification purposes. 15
(2) Reserved for future codification purposes. 16
(3) Designated proxy. – The leader of the party of the qualified member's chamber 17
appointed to cast a vote for, a nd in the ma nner directed by, the qualified 18
member. 19
(4) Reserved for future codification purposes. 20
(5) Reserved for future codification purposes. 21
(6) Qualified member. – A member of the General Assembly who filed a voting 22
designation with respect to a triggering event. 23
(7) Triggering event. – The occurrence of child birth, adoption, stillbirth , or 24
miscarriage to a qualified member. 25
(8) Voting designation. – A written submission by a qualified member to, and on 26
a form made available by, the Principal Clerk of the member's chamber that 27
appoints a designated proxy. 28
(c) Proxy Voting. – The General Assembly shall permit a qualified member not 29
physically located in the chamber to be present and voting by use of a designated proxy. In order 30
to vote by use of a designated proxy, (i) the qualified member shall have filed a voting designation 31
and shall access the real-time, audio or audiovisual stream of each session in which the member 32
votes by use of a designated proxy, (ii) the designated proxy shall be physically located in the 33
chamber when the question is put , and (iii) over one-half of the members of the chamber shall 34
have already voted in the chamber on the question. After the members in the chamber have voted, 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 347-First Edition
the presiding officer shall call on the designated proxy of each qualified member voting pursuant 1
to this subsection. 2
(d) Security; Means. – The General Assembly of North Carolina shall, in accordance with 3
rules adopted by each of the respective bodies, establish a process by which to validate and secure 4
proxy voting conducted pursuant to subsection ( c) of this section . Notwithstanding any rules 5
adopted by a chamber to the contrary, the use of electronic devices, as necessary to effectuate the 6
validation required by this subsection, shall be allowed in the chambers. 7
(e) Duration. – A qualified member's voting designation shall be valid until the earlier of 8
(i) 16 weeks from a triggering event or (ii) the date the qualified member revokes the designation 9
in writing on a form made available by, and filed with, the appropriate Principal Clerk." 10
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 11