RALEIGH — An omnibus criminal justice reform bill is on the verge of heading to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk after clearing the N.C. House in a nearly unanimous 100-2 vote on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
The measure — Senate Bill 300 — now heads back to the Senate for a concurrence vote. The Senate unanimously passed its version of the bill May 12.
The final version of S.B. 300 is a departure from earlier iterations that increased penalties for rioting or inciting a riot. Instead, lawmakers are running those provisions in a separate measure, House Bill 805, which is pending in the Senate Rules Committee.
Among other changes outlined in the bill summary, S.B. 300 would:
Under the bill, family members or representatives of a defendant may request footage from a law enforcement agency and that agency must respond within three business days. A judge will then review the video and decide within seven business days if it should be released. If a determination is made that the footage must be protected due to an ongoing investigation, that determination would be reviewed again within 20 business days.