A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to temporarily allow clerks of court to hear minor traffic offenses by virtual hearing due to THE coronavirus pandemic.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Administrative Office of the Courts, in consultation with the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court, shall (i) identify traffic offenses over which clerks of superior court may be given authority to preside, (ii) grant authority to clerks of superior court to hold in‑person and remote hearings involving the identified traffic offenses, and (iii) provide software, laptops, and any other technological need to clerks of superior court to preside over remote proceedings in a manner that ensures the validity and integrity of the proceedings.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Administrative Office of the Courts the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2020‑2021 fiscal year to be used to implement the requirements of Section 1 of this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2020, and expires March 1, 2021.