A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase the amount of the fine for operating a motor vehicle while text messaging or reading electronic mail.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑137.4A(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Penalty. – A violation of this section while operating a school bus, as defined in G.S. 20‑137.4(a)(4), shall be a Class 2 misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200.00). Any other violation of this section shall be an infraction and shall be punishable by a fine of two hundred dollars ($200.00) and the costs of court.
No drivers license points or insurance surcharge shall be assessed as a result of a violation of this section. Failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall not constitute negligence per se or contributory negligence per se by the operator in any action for the recovery of damages arising out of the operation, ownership, or maintenance of a vehicle."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2013, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.