A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish the legislative task force on the prevention of sexual abuse of children.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is created the Legislative Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children.
SECTION 2.  The Task Force shall consist of 17 members as follows:
(1)	Six members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate as follows:
a.	Two persons who are members of the Senate at the time of appointment.
b.	A representative of an organization involved in parent education and prevention of child abuse.
c.	A representative from a juvenile court.
d.	A school system superintendent, as recommended by the State Board of Education.
e.	A representative from a local child advocacy agency.
(2)	Six members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as follows:
a.	Two persons who are members of the House of Representatives at the time of appointment.
b.	A representative of an organization representing law enforcement.
c.	A local school board member, as recommended by the State Board of Education.
d.	A public school teacher, as recommended by the State Board of Education.
e.	A representative from a local child advocacy agency.
(3)	The Director of the Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, or designee.
(4)	The Director of the Department of Justice, State Bureau of Investigation, or designee.
(5)	The Chairperson of the State Board of Education or designee.
(6)	The Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
(7)	The Director of the Division of Social Services or designee.
SECTION 3.  The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate one Representative as cochair, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall designate one Senator as cochair. Vacancies on the Task Force shall be filled by the same appointing authority that made the initial appointment. A quorum of the Task Force shall be a majority of its members.
SECTION 4.  The Task Force shall study the prevention of sexual abuse of children. As part of this study, the Task Force shall do the following:
(1)	Gather information concerning the occurrence of child sexual abuse throughout the State.
(2)	Identify statewide goals to prevent child sexual abuse.
(3)	Examine an age‑appropriate curriculum on the subject of sexual abuse for students in kindergarten through grade six that could be included as part of the Basic Education Program for the public schools.
(4)	Identify methods for increasing teacher, student, and parent awareness of issues regarding sexual abuse of children, including the warning signs indicating that a child may be a victim of sexual abuse, actions that a child who is a victim of sexual abuse may take to obtain assistance and intervention, and available counseling options for children affected by sexual abuse.
(5)	Study any other issue the Task Force considers relevant.
SECTION 5.  The Task Force, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all powers provided for under G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4. The Task Force may meet at any time upon the joint call of the cochairs. The Task Force may meet in the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building.
With approval of the Legislative Services Commission, the Legislative Services Officer shall assign professional staff to assist the Task Force in its work. The House of Representatives' and the Senate's Directors of Legislative Assistants shall assign clerical staff to the Task Force, and the expenses relating to the clerical employees shall be borne by the Task Force. The Task Force may contract for professional, clerical, or consultant services as provided by G.S. 120‑32.02. If the Task Force hires a consultant, the consultant shall not be a State employee or a person currently under contract with the State to provide services.
All State departments and agencies and local governments and their subdivisions shall furnish the Task Force with any information in their possession or available to them.
SECTION 6.  The Task Force shall submit a final report of the results of its study and its recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the 2015 General Assembly. The Task Force shall terminate on January 1, 2015, or upon the filing of its final report, whichever occurs first.
SECTION 7.  Of the funds appropriated to the Legislative Services Commission pursuant to S.L. 2013‑360 for the 2014‑2015 fiscal year, the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) shall be allocated to the Legislative Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children to conduct the study in accordance with the requirements of this act.
SECTION 8.  Section 7 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2014. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.