UTILITY WORKER PROTECTION ACT.

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View NCGA Bill Details2025-2026 Session
House Bill 258 (Public) Filed Monday, March 3, 2025
AN ACT TO INCREASE THE PUNISHMENT FOR COMMITTING AN ASSAULT AGAINST A UTILITY, COMMUNICATIONS, OR TRANSPORTATION WORKER.
Intro. by K. Hall, Miller, Crawford, Jeffers.
Status: Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate (Senate action) (Apr 10 2025)

SOG comments (1):

Long title change

Submitted by iveybyrd on

Previous title was AN ACT TO INCREASE THE PUNISHMENT FOR COMMITTING AN ASSAULT AGAINST A UTILITY OR COMMUNICATIONS WORKER.

Bill History:

H 258

Bill Summaries:

  • Bill H 258 (2025-2026)
    Summary date: Apr 9 2025 - View Summary

    House amendment to the 2nd edition makes the following changes. Makes conforming changes to act’s long title.

    Enacts GS 14-32.6, creating the offense of felony assault, battery, and affray, as follows. Directs that unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing punishment, any person who commits any assault, assault and battery, or affray is guilty of a Class I felony if during the course of prohibited conduct he or she either:

    • Assaults a public transit operator, including a public employee or a private contractor employed as a public transit operator, when the operator is discharging or attempting to discharge his or her duties.
    • Assaults a transportation network company (TNC) driver providing a transportation network company (TNC) service. Specifies that the definitions for “TNC driver” and “TNC service” as defined in GS 20-280.1 apply.

    Removes those two classes of victims from GS 14-33 (misdemeanor assault, battery, and affray).

    Courts/Judiciary, Criminal Justice, Criminal Law and Procedure, Public Enterprises and Utilities, Transportation
    GS 14
  • Bill H 258
    Summary date: Mar 19 2025 - View Summary

    House committee substitute to the 1st edition broadens the term utility or communications worker in GS 14-33(c)(10) (assault against utility or communications services workers) to include an employee, agent, or contractor of an organization, entity, or company (as described) that provides liquid petroleum, water or wastewater services.

    Courts/Judiciary, Criminal Justice, Criminal Law and Procedure, Public Enterprises and Utilities
    GS 14
  • Bill H 258 (2025-2026)
    Summary date: Mar 3 2025 - View Summary

    Amends GS 14-33 to make it a Class A1 misdemeanor to assault a utility or communications worker while the worker is (1) readily identifiable as a worker (as defined) and (2) discharging or attempting to discharge his or her duties. Defines utility or communications worker as an employee of, agent of, or under contract with an organization, entity, or company, whether State created or privately, municipally, county, or cooperatively owned, that provides electricity, natural gas, telecommunications services, or internet access services. Makes other technical and clarifying changes.

    Specifies that prosecutions for offenses committed before the effective date of this act are not abated or affected by this act, and the statutes that would be applicable but for this act remain applicable to those prosecutions.

    Applicable to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2025.

    Courts/Judiciary, Criminal Justice, Criminal Law and Procedure, Public Enterprises and Utilities
    GS 14
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