GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2007

HOUSE BILL 44

RATIFIED BILL

AN ACT to strengthen the law related to violations of domestic violence protective orders by increasing the penalty for repeat offenders as recommended by the Joint legislative committee on Domestic violence.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 50B‑4.1(f) reads as rewritten:

"(f)      Unless covered under some other provision of law providing greater punishment, any person who knowingly violates a valid protective order as provided in subsection (a) of this section, after having been previously convicted of three two offenses under this Chapter, shall be guilty of a Class H felony."

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2008, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date, but offenses committed before that date count in determining the total prior offenses.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 3^rd day of July, 2008.

                                                                        _____________________________________

                                                                         Beverly E. Perdue

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                        _____________________________________

                                                                         Joe Hackney

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                        _____________________________________

                                                                         Michael F. Easley

                                                                         Governor

Approved __________.m. this ______________ day of ___________________, 2008