More than a dozen new laws are in effect in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — There are more than a dozen new bills in effect as of Dec. 1 in North Carolina. The new laws cover a wide variety of areas including human trafficking and the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Several of the bills are now law after veto overrides by lawmakers. Some of the new laws taking effect are part of or amendments to bills already in effect.
Some of the most controversial bills taking effect include Bill 834, the Juvenile Justice Modifications, which allows 16 and 17-year-olds who commit certain felony crimes to be tried as an adult.
Another is the law that now restricts when a person can wear a face mask in public. House Bill 237 or the Unmasking Mobs and Criminals Act; the bill aims to make it easier to prosecute people trying to hide behind a mask while committing a crime. This would repeal the pandemic-era exemption that allowed mask-wearing for health reasons. The bill also includes laws that prohibit individuals from standing, sitting or lying on highways or streets in a manner that impedes traffic.
The other is a new campaign financing law. Gov. Roy Cooper originally vetoed the bill saying it “creates a loophole for secret, unlimited campaign money.”
House Bill 10 requires sheriff’s offices across the state to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They must hold a suspect thought to be in the country unlawfully for up to 48 hours to give ICE time to take custody of the person. HB10 also includes another law taking effect this month–school vouchers which will allocate about $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program for grants for parents who want their children to attend private or religious K-12 schools.
