GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2007

SESSION LAW 2008-93

HOUSE BILL 44

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.

                                                                    s/ Beverly E. Perdue

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                    s/ Joe Hackney

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/ Michael F. Easley

                                                                         Governor

Approved 12:49 p.m. this 11^th day of July, 2008