A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to amend the qualifications for nomination as a magistrate.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 7A‑171.2(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	To be eligible for nomination as a magistrate, an individual shall have at least eight years' experience as the clerk of superior court in a county of this State or at least eight years of supervisory law enforcement service in this State or shall have a four‑year degree from an accredited senior institution of higher education or shall have a two‑year associate degree and four years of work experience in a related field, including teaching, social services, law enforcement, arbitration or mediation, the court system, or counseling. The Administrative Officer of the Courts may determine whether the work experience is sufficiently related to the duties of the office of magistrate for the purposes of this subsection. In determining whether an individual's work experience is in a related field, the Administrative Officer of the Courts shall consider the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for the office of magistrate.
The eligibility requirements prescribed by this subsection do not apply to individuals holding the office of magistrate on June 30, 1994, and do not apply to individuals who have been nominated by June 30, 1994, but who have not been appointed or taken the oath of office by that date."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to nominations for magistrate occurring on or after that date.