GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2011

S                                                                                                                                                    2

SENATE BILL 268

Judiciary I Committee Substitute Adopted 6/7/11

Short Title:        Enhance Protection of Victims and Witnesses.	(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:

March 9, 2011

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to create enhanced protections for victims and witnesses by adding an exception to the hearsay rule that allows the statement of an unavailable witness to be introduced into evidence in certain circumstances and by increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of intimidating or interfering with a witness.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 14-226(a) reads as rewritten:

"(a)       If any person shall by threats, menaces or in any other manner intimidate or attempt to intimidate any person who is summoned or acting as a witness in any of the courts of this State, or prevent or deter, or attempt to prevent or deter any person summoned or acting as such witness from attendance upon such court, he the person shall be guilty of a Class H felony.Class E felony."

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2011, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.