AN ACT to reduce the concealed handgun permit application and renewal fees for qualified retired sworn law enforcement officers.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 14‑415.19 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14‑415.19.  Fees.
(a)	The permit fees assessed under this Article are payable to the sheriff. The sheriff shall transmit the proceeds of these fees to the county finance officer to be remitted or credited by the county finance officer in accordance with the provisions of this section. Except as otherwise provided by this section, the permit fees are as follows: 
Application fee	$80.00
Renewal fee	$75.00
Duplicate permit fee	$15.00
The county finance officer shall remit forty‑five dollars ($45.00) of each new application fee and forty dollars ($40.00) of each renewal fee assessed under this subsection to the North Carolina Department of Justice for the costs of State and federal criminal record checks performed in connection with processing applications and for the implementation of the provisions of this Article. The remaining thirty‑five dollars ($35.00) of each application or renewal fee shall be used by the sheriff to pay the costs of administering this Article and for other law enforcement purposes. The county shall expend the restricted funds for these purposes only.
(a1)	The permit fees for a retired sworn law enforcement officer who provides the information required by subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection to the sheriff, in addition to any other information required under this Article, are as follows:
Application fee	$45.00
Renewal fee	$40.00
(1)	A copy of the officer's letter of retirement from either the North Carolina Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System or the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System.
(2)	Written documentation from the head of the agency where the person was previously employed indicating that the person was neither involuntarily terminated nor under administrative or criminal investigation within six months of retirement.
The county finance officer shall remit the proceeds of the fees assessed under this subsection to the North Carolina Department of Justice to cover the cost of performing the State and federal criminal record checks performed in connection with processing applications and for the implementation of the provisions of this Article. 
(b)	An additional fee, not to exceed ten dollars ($10.00), shall be collected by the sheriff from an applicant for a permit to pay for the costs of processing the applicant's fingerprints, if fingerprints were required to be taken. This fee shall be retained by the sheriff."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective September 1, 2003, and applies to applications for concealed handgun permits and permit renewals submitted on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 18th day of July, 2003.

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		 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

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		 Richard T. Morgan
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

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		 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved __________.m. this ______________ day of ___________________, 2003