House committee substitute makes the following changes to the 1st edition.

Further amends GS 14-309.7 to transfer bingo game licensure and limited occasion permitting oversight and administration from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to the Alcoholic Law Enforcement (ALE) Division of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Amends GS 14-309.11 to transfer audit reporting responsibilities relating to bingo games from the SBI to ALE.

Amends GS 14-309.14 to transfer beach bingo licensure from the SBI to ALE.

Maintains the act's effective date of October 1, 2020.

Changes the act's long title.

House committee substitute adds the following to the 2nd edition. 

Amends GS 1A-1829 by clarifying that the statute's provisions are subject to GS Chapter 1A, Article 20 (North Carolina Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act), instead of Article 18, which was repealed. Makes organizational changes.

Makes clarifying changes to GS 143B-135.234, GS 143B-1406, 

Makes organizational changes to GS 146-30 and further amends the statute by removing references to regulations adopted by the Governor and changes references to Butner Reservation to Camp Butner, Amends the exclusions from the statute by (1) clarifying that they are all notwithstanding any other provision of the Subchapter, and (2) removing the provision allowing the proceeds from the sale of any of the land owned by the State in the Camp Butner Reservation from being used to build industrial access roads to industries located or to be located on the Butner Reservation, to construct new city streets in the Butner Reservation, to extend water and sewer services on the Butner Reservation, to repair storm drains on the Butner Reservation, and for other capital uses on the Butner Reservation; and (3) defines Camp Butner as it is in GS 122C-3. Makes additional clarifying changes.

Amends GS 153A-441 to allow a county to appoint a licensed (was, registered) professional land surveyor as a county surveyor. Corrects the number of the related GS Chapter.

Amends GS 163-105 to no longer require the State to pay for printing and distributing ballots for offices required under GS 163-109(b) and requires counties to pay for printing and distributing ballots pursuant to GS 163-165.3 (was, ballots for offices required by GS 163-109(c), all to reflect the repeal of GS 163-109.

Amends GS 163-234 by correcting statutory cross-references and making additional technical and clarifying changes.

Amends GS 164-16 by making language gender neutral.

Amends Section 4.1 of SL 2018-80 by removing the change made in the 1st edition that changed the effective dates of Section 2.1 of the act (amending GS 47-17.1 concerning the designation of draftsmen of registered documents) to July 1, 2020, applicable to deeds and deeds of trust presented for registration on or after that date, and Section 2.2 of the act (amending GS 47-18.3 concerning the execution of corporate instruments) to July 1, 2020, applicable to all instruments entered into on or after that date. Instead, makes the act, other than Section 1.2, 1.3, and 3.1, applicable to instruments under GS 47-18.3 that were executed before, on, or after August 1, 2020. Makes that change and the changes to GS 47-17.1 effective August 1, 2020.

 

Senate committee substitute makes the following changes to the 5th edition.

Section 2

Makes organizational changes.

Amends proposed GS 163-226.3(c), regarding the composition of multipartisan teams. Now, of the team members required to represent the two political parties having the highest number of affiliated voters in the State, requires the team members to be recommended by the members of that political party serving on the county board of elections, rather than by the county chair of each respective political party. Clarifies that the proposed provisions applies to appointments to a multipartisan team on or after the date the act becomes law.

Section 4.5

Adds to the proposed changes to GS 163-182.2 to clarify that precinct officials are required to provide a preliminary report of the vote counting on election day to the county board of elections as quickly as possible (previously, did not specify the preliminary report is required on election day).

Eliminates the proposed changes to GS 163-166.11, regarding publication of the number of provisional ballots cast in an election by 5:00 p.m. the day after the close of polls. Instead, adds a requirement for county boards to publish the following information by 12:00 p.m. two days after the close of polls: the number of provisional ballots cast on election day, cast by one-stop absentee voting, cast by mail-in absentee ballots received as of election day, and cast by military and overseas absentee ballots cast under State law and received as of election day.

Section 7

Eliminates the mandate requiring the State Board of Elections (State Board) to investigate IP addresses or VPNs accessing the website for submitting online requests for absentee ballots to request absentee ballots for more than 10 qualified voters from the date the website is first available to voters through October 27, 2020, as well as the coordinating reporting requirements. Instead, requires the State Board to report to the specified NCGA committee by February 1, 2021, regarding online requests for absentee ballots, including online requests by county, and the results of any cybersecurity investigations related to online requests during the 2020 general election.

Section 11.1

Changes the source of the $2,120,497 in matching State funds appropriated to the State Board for 2020-21 for coronavirus response during the 2020 election cycle. Previously, appropriated the funds from the General Fund to match the federal CARES Act funds appropriated. Now, directs the Department of Commerce to transfer the same amount in nonrecurring funds from the Job Investment Grant Special Revenue Fund to the State Board for 2020-21, as the required State match. Requires the transfer to be made no later than August 15, 2020.

Section 11.2

Changes the source of the $2,335,488 in matching State funds appropriated to the State Board for 2020-21 for specified election purposes and county HAVA expense reimbursements. Previously, appropriated the funds from the General Fund to match the federal HAVA funds appropriated. Now, directs the Department of Commerce to transfer the same amount in nonrecurring funds from the Job Investment Grant Special Revenue Fund to the State Board for 2020-21, as the required State match. Requires the transfer to be made no later than August 15, 2020.

Adds to the identified uses and coordinating allowable amounts the State Board is authorized to use from a portion of the HAVA funds and State match funds appropriated by the act, $1 million to assist counties with the speed, accuracy, and transparency of the counties' election, voter, and canvass data and processes.

Sections 11A.1 and 11A.2

Adds new sections. Reenacts and incorporates by reference the State Budget Act, GS Chapter 143C.

Provides for the continued validity of 2019 legislation appropriating funds to entities covered by the act, unless expressly repealed or amended.