Amends GS 115D­5(b)(12), authorizing the State Board of Community Colleges to waive tuition and registration fees for all courses taken by high school students at community colleges (currently only applies to curriculum courses).

Amends GS 115D­20(4) to authorize local community colleges to offer, in addition to all currently authorized offerings, academic transition pathways for qualified junior and senior high school students that lead to State or industry­recognized credentials.

Applies beginning with the 2017­18 academic year.

Amends GS 7B­200(a) to grant the district court exclusive, original jursidction over proceedings to review the placement of a young adult in foster care under GS 108A­48 and GS 7B­910.1.

Amends GS 7B­404 (Immediate need for petition when clerk's office is closed). Directs magistrates, when the office of the clerk is closed, to accept petitions alleging a juvenile to be abused, neglected, or dependent, and petitions alleging the obstruction of or interference with an assessment required by GS 7B­302. Limited to emergency situations when a petition must be filed to obtain a nonsecure custody order or an order under GS 7B­303 (interference with assessment), and any petitions accepted for filing under this statute must be delivered to the clerk's office for processing as soon as it opens for business.

Amends GS 7B­405 (Commencement of action). Clarifies that an action is commenced when a juvenile petition is accepted by a magistrate, as described above. Amends GS 7B­407 (Service of Summons) to clarify that a summons shall be served under GS 1A­1, Rule 4.

Amends GS 7B­505(a) to further allow temporary residential placement in the home of a parent, relative, nonrelative kin, or other person with legal custody of a sibling of the juvenile (was, a relative's home).

Amends GS 7B­505.1. Amends the caption to read "Consent for medical care for a juvenile placed in nonsecure custody of a department of social services." Authorizes the director of a county department of social services to further arrange for, provide, and consent to treatment for common pediatric illnesses and injuries that require prompt intervention. Also amends GS 7B­2503, concerning undisciplined juveniles and GS 7B­2506, concerning delinquent juveniles, by deleting provisions related to the director's authority over medical care and consent requirements be heard in the person's own behalf, and to examine witnesses.

Amends GS 7B­506 (hearing to determine need for continued nonsecure custody) to allow parties the right to introduce evidence (currently allows a specified list of parties). Provides that GS 7B­905.1 apply to determine visitation.

Amends GS 7B­906.1 to direct the court to conduct a review hearing within 90 days of the initial dispositional hearing held pursuant to GS 7B­901 in all instances (was, limited to instances where the parent, guardian, or custodian lost custody). Directs the court to schedule a permanency planning hearing within 30 days of determining that efforts to reunite a juvenile with either parent would be unsuccessful or inconsistent with the juvenile's health and safety. Adds that the statute does not apply to post termination of parental rights' placement reviews. Makes a technical change.

Amends GS 7B­908 to require the court to further conduct placement reviews when parental rights have been relinquished under GS Chapter 48. Amends language throughout the statute to refer to permanent placement plans (instead of a singular plan).Makes conforming changes. Deletes references to the North Carolina Adoption Resource Exchange, and the North Carolina Photo Adoption Listing service, and replaces them with the NC Kids Adoption and Foster Care Network and other child­specific recruitment programs.  Directs the court to adopt concurrent permanent plans and identify the primary and secondary plan in accordance with GS 7B­906.2. Provides a contingency in which the court may order a placement that the court finds to be in the juvenile's best interest.

Amends GS 7B­910.1(d) to make a technical change.

Amends GS 7B­1106 to refer to service of process under GS 1A­1, Rule 4 (currently Rule 4(j)).

Amends GS 7B­3600 to replace references to GS 7B­903, GS 7B­2503, and GS 7B­2506 with GS 7B­505.1 and GS 7B­903.1.

Effective October 1, 2017.

Identical to S 189, filed 3/6/17.

Amends GS 15-1. Tolls the statute of limitations for crimes of deceit and malicious mischief, and the crime of petit larceny where the value of the property does not exceed $5, and all misdemeanors except malicious misdemeanors, during the time a misdemeanor is dismissed with leave. Requires those same crimes to be charged (was, presented or found by the grand jury) within two years after the commission of the crime, and clarifies that the provision preserving the validity of a defective indictment preserves any criminal process.

Effective December 1, 2017, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.

Enacts new GS Chapter 95, Article 2B (Retail Workers' Bill of Rights).

Lists legislative findings regarding employment in retail work, and defines seven terms including employer and retail establishment.

GS 95­25.33, advance notice of work schedules and schedule changes, requires employers to provide new employees with written nonbinding estimates of the employee's expected minimum number of scheduled shifts per month and the days and hours of those shifts. Allows employees to request employers to modify the proposed work schedule, and requires an employer to accept or reject the request prior to the start of employment. Requires employers to provide employees with at least two weeks' notice of work schedules by posting the schedule on a biweekly schedule, either at the workplace or online. Requires an employer to give notice to an employee of any change to the employee's schedule, and requires additional compensation to the employee based on how long before the changed shifts notice was given, and the length of the changed shifts. Requires pay for on­call shifts in which an employee is not called into work. Provides seven exceptions for the schedule change and on­call shift compensations, including for acts of God and unexpected absences of other employees. Allows employers to provide greater advance notice than required by this statute.

GS 95­25.34, equal treatment for part­time employees, prohibits employers from differentiating wages, paid and unpaid time off, and eligibility for promotion, between part­time and full­time employees based on status as a part­ or full­time employee. Provides that eligibility for promotion may be contingent upon the employee's availability for full­time employment.

GS 95­25.35, notice of employee rights, directs the Commissioner of Labor (Commissioner) to publish and make available to employers, in specified languages, a notice suitable for posting by employers in the workplace informing employees of their rights under this Article, by the effective date of this act. Directs the Commissioner to update the notice on December 1 of any year in which there is a change in the required languages (based on languages spoken by percentages of the State's workforce). Directs employers to post the notice in a conspicuous place at every workplace in the State under the employer's control visited by its retail employees.

GS 95­25.36, records; retention requirements, requires employers to retain work schedules and payroll records for three years, and to allow the Department of Labor (Department) access to them to monitor compliance with this Article. Grants the Commissioner access to all places of labor subject to this Article during business hours to inspect books and records, interview employees, and investigate matters necessary to determine whether the employer has violated this Article. Provides that failure to maintain adequate records, or failure to allow the Department reasonable access to them as required, creates a presumption that the employer did not comply with the Article, absent clear and convincing evidence otherwise.

GS 95­25.37, exercise of rights protected; retaliation prohibited, prohibits the interference with the exercise any right protected under this Article. Prohibits employers from taking adverse employment action in retaliation for the exercise of rights protected under this Article.

GS 95­25.38, investigation; enforcement, authorizes the Commissioner to enforce the Article, including investigation of possible violations of the Article. Authorizes the Commissioner to order temporary or interim relief to mitigate a violation that the Commissioner has reason to believe has occurred, or to maintain the status quo, pending the completion of an investigation. Provides for the Commissioner to provide notice to an employer that has been determined to be in violation, as described, and authorizes the Commissioner to order appropriate relief, including payment of lost wages, as well as an administrative penalty, to employees, and enforcement costs to the state. Provides for an appeal to the NC Office of Administrative Hearings, and subsequently to the Wake County Superior Court, and describes the steps required to pursue such an appeal. Provides that failure to appeal constitutes failure to exhaust administrative remedies.

Clarifies that the Article does not limit other rights and remedies provided by law to employees. Contains a severability clause.

Clarifies that the Article does not create rights, requirements, power, or duties in conflict with any State or federal law.

Effective January 1, 2018.

Amends GS 15­205 to give probation officers the authority of peace officers on prison property for the purpose of protecting life and property, for transferring prisoners from place to place, and for apprehending, arresting, and returning to prison escaped prisoners. Authorizes probation officers to assist law enforcement officers in effecting arrests and preventing escapes when requested by the officer, or when such assistance is necessary in the judgment of the probation officer.

Amends GS 15A­1343 to authorize a court to further require defendants on community and intermediate probation to submit to a curfew as determined by a probation officer, and allows for it to be monitored electronically. Requires a probationer, as a regular condition of probation, to submit at all times to warrantless and suspicionless searches by a probation officer or law enforcement officers, of the probationer's person, property, place of residence, vehicle, and personal effects. Also allows warrantless searches of the probationer's cell phone, computer, or other electronic devices, while the probationer is present for purposes reasonably related to the probation supervision.

Amends GS 15A­1368.4(e)(10) to require persons on post­release supervision to submit to searches identical to those described above.

Amends GS 15A­1374(b)(11) to require parolees to submit to searches identical to those described above.

Amends GS 15A­101.1 to amend the definition of  electronic monitoring, electronically monitor and satellite­-based monitoring to include devices that are not kept on the body of the monitored person. Also deletes specifications on battery life and how often specified information is recorded. Amends GS 15A­1343.2 to further authorize the Section of Community Corrections of the Division of Adult Correction of the Department of Public Safety (Section) to require an offender sentenced to community punishment or intermediate punishment to obtain a specific sex offender assessment and follow recommended treatment, and to obtain a mental health assessment and follow recommended treatment. Authorizes the Section to require offenders placed on supervised probation for a conditional discharge or deferred prosecution to comply with the requirements listed in subsection (e), except for that in subdivision (5), and authorizes a probation officer to exercise authority delegated by the court pursuant to those requirements. Authorizes an offender to file a motion with the court to review a probation officer's actions. Makes a technical change.

Amends GS 20­179 to authorize the Section to require an impaired driving offender placed on supervised probation to do a list of nine things, including community service, substance abuse treatment, and house arrest. Authorizes a probation officer to exercise authority delegated by the court. Directs the Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction to adopt guidelines and procedures to implement this statute. Specifies requirements and procedures for confinement of a probationer under the statute.

Effective December 1, 2017, and applies to defendants placed on probation on or after that date.

Recodifies GS 143­320(3) as GS 143B­135.44(3a).

Recodifies GS 143­323(a) and (b) as GS 143B­135.58(a & b) (Additional powers and duties of the Department regarding recreation).

Amends GS 143B­135.58, as enacted above, to transfer specified duties concerning recreation from the Department of Environmental Quality to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR). Authorize and directs the DNCR, Division of Parks and Recreation, to accept and administer funding through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, or any successor for similar purposes, with the assistance of any additional personnel designated by the Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources (Secretary), and to make a technical change.

Amends GS Chapter 143B, Article 2, Part 39 by changing the title to "North Carolina Zoological Park," and by enacting new GS 143B­135.204 (Administration of the North Carolina Zoological Park). Directs the Secretary to administer the North Carolina Zoological Park, and specifies the Secretaries duties, including to adopt goals and objectives for the Zoological Park, and to acquire, dispose of, and develop Zoological Park property.

Changes the name of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to the Land and Water Preservation Trust Fund, and directs the Revisor of Statutes to conform names and titles to that name change throughout the General Statutes, effective January 1, 2018.

Except as otherwise provided, the act is effective when it becomes law.

Amends GS 95­25.5(a) to direct the Commissioner of Labor to issue youth employment certificates, both directly and electronically (currently certificate issuance is subject to review by the Department of Labor and county directors of social services).

Amends GS 95­117(4) to define funicular and gondola, and to make technical changes.

Amends GS 95­120(1) to direct rules adopted under that statute to conform with good engineering and safety standards, formulas, and practices (currently requires conformity with a specified publication).

Enacts new GS 95­125.1 (Operation of unsafe device). Prohibits the operation and use of devices under GS Chapter 95, Article 15 (Passenger Tramway Safety) if the operator knows or reasonably should know that operation or use will expose the public to an unsafe condition which is likely to result in personal injury or property damage.

Enacts new GS 95­125.2 (Reports required). Requires owners of any device regulated under Article 15 to notify the Commissioner within 24 hours of every occurrence involving the device resulting in death or injury requiring medical treatment by a physician, or damage to the device indicating a substantial defect. Directs the Commissioner, without delay, to make a complete and thorough investigation of the occurrence, and to file a report and give in detail all facts and information available. Prohibits, after an occurrence reported under this statute, the operation or moving of the device without approval of the Commissioner, except as to prevent injury, or the removal of any part of the device or attempt to repair any damaged part necessary to an investigation.

Enacts new GS 95­125.3 (Violations, civil penalties, appeal, criminal penalties). Creates civil penalties in different amounts for violations of GS 95­118 (concerning registration), GS 95­120.1 (concerning liability insurance) and GS 95­125.1 (concerning operation of an unsafe device). Commissioner's determination of the amount of the penalty is final, subject to objection by the person charged with violation, at which point a final determination is made pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act. Authorizes the Commissioner to file a certified copy of a final order with the clerk of court, at which point the clerk shall enter judgment in accordance with the final order and notify the parties. Creates a Class 2 misdemeanor for willful violations of any provision of this Article, including a fine of up to $10,000. A second willful violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $20,000. A willful violation that causes the serious injury or death of any person is a Class E felony, including a fine. Nothing in the article prevents a prosecutor from proceeding against a person who violates this Article on a prosecution charging any degree of willful or culpable homicide.

Amends GS 95­174, GS 95­191(a), GS 95­192, GS 95­194, GS 95­208, and GS 95­216 to replace references to the Standard Industrial Classification with references to the North American Industry Classification System and references to material safety data sheets with safety data sheets. Makes technical changes.

Amends GS 95­255 to delete subsection (c) (instructing the Commissioner to notify an employer when its experience rate modifier falls below 1.5).

Effective July 1, 2017.

Amends GS 153A­331 and GS 160A­372 (regarding subdivision control ordinances for counties and cities, respectively) to authorize counties and cities to administer funds they receive as collateral for a performance guarantee in furtherance of the required improvements. Authorizes a county to contract with another entity to complete required improvements if a subdivision is not located within a municipality.

To be summarized.

Amends GS 14­72.11 to eliminate the requirement that an exit door bear a notice of the felony offense of larceny from a merchant for theft through that door to count as larceny from a merchant. Further adds exchanging stolen property for something of value, cash, a gift card, or a merchandise card, and returning stolen property and utilizing fictitious identification to prevent the merchant from properly identifying the person seeking to return the property, to the list of circumstances that make larceny the felony of larceny from a merchant.

Amends GS Chapter 14, Article 16A to define organized retail theft enterprise, and to clarify that the Class­H felony of organized retail theft consists of either of the two already­listed actions. Further creates a Class G felony of organized retail theft when a person either (1) conspires with another person to commit retail theft of property from retail establishments, with a value exceeding $20,000 aggregated over a 90­day period, with the intent to sell that retail property for monetary or other gain, and who takes or causes that retail property to be placed in the control of a person in exchange for consideration, or (2) acts as leader of an organized retail theft enterprise if the person conspires with others as an organizer, supervisor, financier, or manager to engage for profit in a scheme or course of conduct to effectuate the transfer or sale of property stolen from a merchant. Authorizes the prosecution of offenses occurring in different counties to be prosecuted in any county in which one of the violations occurred.

Amends GS 66­387 to amend the definition of  currency converter  to include a person engaged in the business of purchasing gift cards or merchandise cards of any value not issued by the person from the public for cash.

Effective December 1, 2017, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.

Adds new Article 62B to GS Chapter 106, entitled the Healthy Food Small Retailer Act.

Enacts new GS 106-755.5 providing the following. Sets out six General Assembly findings. States that the program established in the statute is intended to provide a source of funding and assistance for small food retailers operating in the state with the goal of increasing availability and sales of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient‑dense foods at affordable prices to local residents and improving the diet and health of local residents, especially in food desert zones. Creates the Healthy Food Small Retailer Fund (Fund) as a restricted reserve in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Department) and specifies that funds in the Fund do not revert but remain available to the Department for food desert relief purposes. Sets out and defines terms as they are used in the statute, including business, food desert relief, and zone. Defines a small food retailer as a business that is a small retail outlet of no more than 5,000 heated square feet that sells a limited selection of foods and other products.

Requires the Commissioner of Agriculture, upon application by a county, to make a written determination as to whether an area is a food desert zone; the determination is effective until December 31 of the year 10 years following the year in which the determination is made. Requires the Department to annually publish a list of all food desert zones with a description of their boundaries. Specifies items that must be included in the application. Requires the Department to develop guidelines providing for the administration of the program and selection of recipients of food desert relief. Allows the Department to use up to 5% of the funds appropriated to the Fund to administer the Fund. Specifies provisions that must be included in the guidelines. Limits the use of funds in the Fund to (1) amounts to a county or regional public health department to purchase and install at a small food retailer refrigeration equipment, display shelving, and other equipment necessary for stocking nutrient‑dense foods; total funding may not exceed $5,000 per small food retailer; (2) amounts to a county or regional public health department to be given to a small food retailer to offset initial expenses related to participating in food desert relief efforts; total funding may not exceed $100 per small food retailer; or (3) amounts to a county or regional public health department to cover salaries and associated costs of either employees or contractors providing technical assistance to small food retailers on nutrient‑dense food safety and handling, nutrition education, and business operations and promotion related to nutrient‑dense food inventory; total funding may not exceed $1,500 per small food retailer.

Provides that funds may be disbursed from the Fund only in accordance with agreements entered into between the state and one or more county or regional public health departments and between the county or regional public health department and a small food retailer. Specifies provisions that must be included in the agreement. 

Allows funds to be disbursed to the county or regional public health department only after the county or regional public health department has demonstrated that the retailer has complied with the terms of the retailer performance agreement. Requires that funds be disbursed according to the disbursement schedule established in the local food desert relief agreement.

Requires the Department to publish a report on the use of funds in the Fund on or before April 30 of each year. Requires the report to be submitted electronically to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the House and Senate appropriations committees with jurisdiction over agriculture and natural and economic resources, and the Fiscal Research Division. Specifies items to be included in the report. 

Requires the Department to develop guidelines related to the administration of the Fund and to the selection of projects to receive allocations from the Fund. Requires the Department to publish the proposed guidelines on its website and provide notice to those requesting notice at least 20 days before the effective date of any guidelines or nontechnical amendments to guidelines. Also requires the Department to accept comments on the proposed guidelines during the 15 business days beginning on the first day that the Department has completed these notifications. Defines a technical amendment. 

Includes whereas clauses.

Requires the State Board of Education (State Board) to establish a School Calendar Flexibility Pilot Program (Program) to determine the impact of school calendar flexibility for opening and closing dates on student achievement and summer internships and to identify and quantify the communities that can support local school calendar control and those that cannot. 

Authorizes all local school administrative units in the 20 specified counties to participate in the Program, but provides that any local board of education of a local school administrative unit authorized to participate in the Program may elect not to participate; sets out the process for authorizing replacement local school administrative units.

Requires each participating local school administrative unit to participate for three school years, beginning in either the 2018‑19 school year or the 2019‑20 school year. Requires the State Board to give the Department of Commerce a list of the participating local school administrative units by February 1, 2018.

Provides that local boards of education of participating local school administrative units will determine, for the duration of the Program, the dates of opening and closing the public schools; and that except for year‑round schools, the opening date for students will be no earlier than the Monday closest to August 10 and the closing date for students shall be no later than the Friday closest to June 11.

Requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to, for the duration of the Program, contact each participating local school administrative unit annually to determine: (1) the actual dates for opening and closing the public schools, (2) the impact of the Program on student achievement and summer internships, and (3) any other information DPI deems necessary for purposes of the study. Requires DPI to give the Department of Commerce the actual dates for opening and closing the public schools in each participating local school administrative unit.

Requires the Department of Commerce to study the effect of the Program on the tourist industry.

Requires the State Board and Department of Commerce, by November 15 of each year following the operation of the Program, to separately report to the UNC School of Government (SOG) on the effects of the Program. Specifies items that must be included in the report. Also requires the State Board to recommend any local school administrative units that should be assigned calendar flexibility on an ongoing basis. Requires the Department of Commerce to report on any economic impact of the Program on the tourism industry in the State. Requires the SOG to evaluate this information and provide an aggregated report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15 of the same year.

Urges Congress to enact an "American Economic Recovery Program," consisting of specified proposals that (1) restore the provisions of the Glass­Steagall Act which aim to restore the separation of investment and commercial banking, (2) return to a national banking system, (3) use the federal credit system to build a modern network of high­speed rail, power generating systems, water projects, and urban and rural infrastructure, and (4) launch an initiative to rebuild our space program to explore the solar system and inspire future generations.