GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2007

SESSION LAW 2008-145

SENATE BILL 1957

AN ACT to modify the territorial jurisdiction of the North Carolina general Assembly Special Police throughout the state when conducting official Business for the purpose of performing advances and protective duties for members, and protective duties at special sessions, committee meetings, commission hearings, and state, regional, or national legislative conferences.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 120‑32.2 reads as rewritten:

"§ 120‑32.2.  General Assembly special police.Special Police.

(a)       All sworn members of the General Assembly special policeSpecial Police employed by the Legislative Services Office are special policemen, police officers, and have all the powers of policemen of cities, within any of the following areas of jurisdiction, while on official duty:

(1)       Within those areas of the City of Raleigh and of the unincorporated parts of Wake County surrounded by the innermost right‑of‑way of Interstate 440.

(2)       In any part of the State:

a.         While accompanying a member of the General Assembly who is conducting, or traveling to or from, his or her official duties.

b.         While preparing for, or providing security to, a session of either or both houses of the General Assembly, or official events directly related to that session.

c. While performing advance work and providing security for the protection of legislative members, staff, and the public for any meeting of a study, standing, select, or joint select committee, or any commission meeting of the General Assembly, or any state, regional, or national meetings of legislative bodies or organizations representing legislative bodies, and while accompanying a member of the General Assembly to or from any event listed in this subdivision.

(b)       General Assembly special police Special Police officers may arrest persons outside the areas described in subsection (a) of this section when the person arrested has committed a criminal offense within any of the areas, for which the officer could have arrested the person within that area, and the arrest is made during such person's immediate and continuous flight from that area.

(c)       The General Assembly special police Special Police has officers have the exclusive authority and responsibility for enforcing the parking rules of the Legislative Services Commission."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 120‑32.3 reads as rewritten:

"§ 120‑32.3.  Oath of General Assembly special police.Special Police officers.

Before exercising the duties of a special policemanpolice officer, each General Assembly special police Special Police officer shall take an oath before some officer empowered to administer oaths, and the oaths shall be filed with the Clerk of Superior Court of Wake County. The oath of office shall be as follows:

"State of North Carolina, Wake County.

"I, ________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will well and truly execute the duties of General Assembly special policeman Special Police officer in the State Legislative Building and other buildings and grounds subject to the jurisdiction of the Legislative Services Commission and in other areas designated by law, according to the best of my skill and ability and according to law; and that I will use my best endeavors to enforce all rules and regulations of the Legislative Services Commission concerning use of those buildings and grounds and all laws of the State of North Carolina. So help me, God.

"Sworn and subscribed to before me, this the ____ day of ______, A.D. ____""

SECTION 3.  Of the funds appropriated to the General Assembly in FY 2008-2009, the sum of twenty‑five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be allocated to the General Assembly for the purpose of conducting the Southern Legislative Conference to be held in Winston‑Salem, Forsyth County, in 2009.

SECTION 4.  Section 3 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2008.  The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 10^th 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 8:09 p.m. this 2^nd day of August, 2008