GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

SESSION LAW 2015-48

HOUSE BILL 570

AN ACT to direct law enforcement and the courts to improve judicial efficiency through the use of the electronic repository commonly known as ncaware to resolve outstanding warrants while a defendant is in custody.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 15A‑301.1 is amended by adding two new subsections to read:

"(o) At the time an individual is taken into custody, the custodial law enforcement agency shall attempt to identify all outstanding warrants against that individual and notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies of the location of the individual.

(p) Prior to the entry of any order of the court in a criminal case, the court shall attempt to identify all outstanding warrants against that individual and notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies of the location of the individual."

SECTION 2.  Article 1 of Chapter 148 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

"§ 148‑10.5.  Facilitation of reentry.

In order to facilitate successful reentry and improve judicial efficiency, the Division of Adult Correction of the Department of Public Safety shall work with law enforcement, the district attorneys' offices, and the courts to develop a process by which, both at intake and before release, effort is made, for each inmate in custody, to identify all outstanding warrants on the inmate. The plan should seek to resolve inmates' outstanding warrants while in custody, whenever feasible. In the course of resolving an outstanding warrant while in custody, an inmate shall be notified of the outstanding warrant and his or her right to counsel if such a right exists."

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2015.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 27^th day of May, 2015.

                                                                    s/  Daniel J. Forest

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                    s/  Tim Moore

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/  Pat McCrory

                                                                         Governor

Approved 10:30 a.m. this 2^nd day of June, 2015