(The Center Square) – Now, without a criminal charge provision, a proposal for the safety of youth against sexually inappropriate behaviors on Thursday reached the rules committee in North Carolina’s House of Representatives.
Senators on Tuesday advanced the amended version of Revise Laws on Minors/Human Trafficking, known also as House Bill 83. Passage was 45-0.
The bill, before the last amendment, would have created a criminal charge against those convicted repeatedly of indecent exposure. Rep. John Torbett, R-Gaston, indicated that element isn’t dead; rather, it's likely coming in a different bill.
Pending approval in the House and a signature from first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, penalties will be stronger for people exposing children to obscenities such as nudity or sexual acts.
The proposal also instructs the Human Trafficking Commission to conduct a study on a system for reporting suspected human trafficking. The bill language says in part, “It is the intent of the General Assembly to establish a system that will (i) notify law enforcement and child protection officials of high priority reports, (ii) provide a secure dashboard for authorized personnel to view, triage and respond to reports, and (iii) support real-time communication between investigators and survivors or reporters with consent.”
Passage the first time through the House was 107-9. The upper chamber sent the bill across on Wednesday and on Thursday it was assigned to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House. Scheduling for next week's votes was not available at the time of publication.
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