AN ACT to create enhanced protections for victims and witnesses 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, the person shall be guilty of a Class G felony."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2011, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 18th day of June, 2011.

	s/	 Philip E. Berger
	 President Pro Tempore of the Senate

	s/	 Thom Tillis
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 Governor

Approved 10:37 a.m. this 23rd day of June, 2011