Call Your NC Legislators for the Second Chance Alliance
We are helping the Second Chance Alliance with their lobby day on Tuesday, May 6! While they have a busload of folks traveling to Raleigh, those of us who could not make it will be calling our NCGA Senators and Representatives about bills relevant to people directly impacted by the criminal justice system!
Please contact your NC House and/or Senate Members about these bills! (Find your legislators here: https://www.ncleg.gov/findyourlegislators.) Remember: If you are calling about a bill with "SB" or Senate Bill, call your SENATE member. If you are calling about a bill with "HB" or House Bill, call your HOUSE member. Sometimes, you will need to contact both. If there is a House version and a Senate version of the bill, chances are it is more likely to pass this session! To read any of these or other bills, use this lookup form.
HB-682/SB-564: Public Safety Through Food Access Act
HB-446/SB-129: Prohibition on Disclosing Booking Photographs
HB-45: GSC/Moral Turpitude/Occupational Licensure
HB-339/SB-326: Economic Security Act
SB-529: Second Chances Success Act
SB-334: Repeal the NC Drug Tax
HB-722: Enact Criminal Justice Debt Reform
SB-676: North Carolina Survivors Act
SB-634/HB-505: Kayla’s Act - To protect survivors of domestic violence.
SB-679: Women’s CARE Act - Change the way pregnant women are treated in the criminal justice system.
SB-683: Keeping Kids and Parents Together Act
HB-625/SB-681: Prison Resources Repurposing Act
SB-704: Ronnie Long No Cap Act - Removes cap on compensation to people who have been wrongly convicted.
SB-696: Limit No-Knock Warrant/Quick-Knock Entry
HB-237: Modify the Physical Health and Safety of Others
HB-682/SB-564: Public Safety Through Food Access Act
What it would do:
Ends ban on SNAP/TANF for people convicted of drug felonies.
Background:
This bill addresses a critical link between food insecurity and public safety. Currently people with Class H or Class I drug felonies are barred access to these benefits for a minimum of six months after their conviction or release from custody, while people convicted of a Class G or higher drug felony are banned from SNAP benefits for life. This bill would change current state law so that people convicted of a drug-related felony can access Work First and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) benefits if they can demonstrate completion or active participation in a substance abuse treatment program.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. By expanding food access – particularly in under-served neighborhoods - we reduce desperation, improve health outcomes, and strengthen community stability. Studies show that increasing access to affordable, nutritious food is one of the most effective ways to reduce crime and improve public safety, especially among youth and low-income populations. Allowing people convicted of a drug-related felony to access Work First and SNAP benefits will improve community safety and decrease the chances that they will enter the criminal justice system again. Please vote YES on HB-682/SB-564! Thank you!
HB-446/SB-129: Prohibition on Disclosing Booking Photographs
What it would do:
Establishes that a booking photo is confidential and not a public record and that law enforcement agencies cannot provide a copy of booking photos in any format except for law enforcement purposes.
Background:
Mugshots are everywhere; they are often posted for free online and in magazines at convenience stores. Under the current law any record held by a public entity may be public record, including mugshots. Having mugshots easily available can affect a person’s job prospects, housing, and other opportunities – not to mention their reputation in the community. Private companies should not be able to exploit this information.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. Criminal records of all types (even dismissed charges) cause devastating “collateral consequences” for many of the 1 in 4 adults (approximately 2 million North Carolinians) with criminal records. People of color are even more likely to face severe barriers to reentry and opportunity. People striving to lead prosperous, law-abiding lives face unnecessary exclusions from jobs, homes, and other opportunities for years after exiting the criminal legal system. Allowing mugshots to be easily available hampers their likelihood of successfully integrating back into society and remaining out of the criminal justice system. Please vote YES on HB-446/SB-129! Thank you!
HB-45: GSC/Moral Turpitude/Occupational Licensure
What it would do:
This bill would update North Carolina law to ensure that occupational licensing decisions are fair, transparent, and based on relevant, current risk—not outdated or ambiguous moral judgments.
Background:
Many North Carolinians with past criminal convictions face lifelong barriers to employment—not because of public safety risks, but due to vague and inconsistent licensing laws. In particular, the outdated use of “moral turpitude” as grounds for denying occupational licenses has allowed broad discretion and inconsistent standards across state boards, disproportionately impacted people of color and low-income communities, and created unnecessary barriers for rehabilitated individuals seeking to reenter the workforce.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. The term “moral turpitude” is overly vague and is not utilized equally amongst licensure boards. It is overly board and disproportionately impacts people of color and low-income communities. HB-45 would change that by providing a set of consistent criteria when it comes to looking at past offenses. This will provide a fairer assessment of someone’s past and allow them to get a fair shake when it comes to job applications. This will in turn help with increasing the chances of permanent employment and decrease the chance that people who have committed offenses will remain out of the criminal justice system going forward. Please vote YES on HB-45! Thank you!
HB-339/SB-326: Economic Security Act
What it would do:
Advance economic security for all of NC, including Ban the Box provision. The major parts of these pieces of legislation involve increasing the minimum wage and enact policies for paid sick leave and paid maternity leave.
Background:
Following America’s failed experiment with mass incarceration and overcriminalization, an estimated 70 million to 100 million Americans now have some type of criminal record. This includes millions of North Carolinians. Often called “collateral consequences,” the resulting barriers to employment, housing, education, and other basics put economic stability, let alone upward mobility, out of reach for tens of millions of individuals and families—disproportionately from communities of color—who have been affected by the U.S. criminal legal system.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I’m calling to urge [Senator/Representative Name] to support HB-339/SB-326 (Economic Security Act). This act includes verbiage to “Ban the Box,” which would remove questions about criminal history from initial job applications. This policy doesn’t prevent background checks—it simply delays them until later in the hiring process so people aren’t automatically disqualified. People with past convictions deserve a fair chance at employment and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. “Ban the Box” helps reduce recidivism, supports families, and strengthens our communities by allowing qualified applicants to be judged on their skills and experience—not just their past. Please vote YES on HB-339/SB-326! Thank you!
SB-529: Second Chances Success Act
What it would do:
This bill would eliminate probation supervision fee, eliminate the requirement to pay a fee associated with required community service, and restrict the extension of probation solely for nonpayment of supervision fee.
Background:
Since 1999, the number of criminal court fees has increased from 4 to 52 and the amount of the fees has ballooned over 250%, with the base cost for use of court increasing from $61 to $176. Over 650,000, or 1 in 12 people, in North Carolina have unpaid criminal court debt. People of color and people from low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by the consequences of criminal court debt.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. Criminal court fees are an unnecessary burden keeping people who have committed offenses from fully reintegrating into society. These fees limit economic mobility by saddling people with insurmountable debt, causing significant emotional stress, often forcing families to choose between putting food on the table and paying their criminal debt. Please consider submitting and supporting an amendment to include elimination of parole and post-release supervision fees as well. Many people under supervision are unable to find a job for an extended period following their release from prison, making it almost impossible to pay this monthly fee. Please vote YES on SB-529! Thank you!
SB-334: Repeal the NC Drug Tax
What it would do:
Abolish the drug tax.
Background:
The Unauthorized Substances Tax (“NC Drug Tax”) is a tax levied against a person in actual or constructive possession of certain illicit substances, such as moonshine or cannabis. This law requires people in possession of certain amounts of the substance to purchase tax stamps within 48 hours and place the stamps permanently on the substance. Almost no one, besides stamp collectors, purchases these stamps; most people either do not know the stamps exist, that this is a requirement, or they are wary about giving their information to the Department of Revenue (DOR). If a person does not purchase the required stamps and is found in possession of one of the specified substances, law enforcement agencies can report the failure to purchase stamps to the NC DOR and then the DOR can use any means to collect the penalties and fees.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. The NC DOR uses any means necessary to collect the debt, including seizing a person’s property, garnishing wages, or emptying individuals’ bank accounts to collect the tax. Approximately $7 million is extracted from families of color and low-income communities each year (plus court costs, penalties, and fees). These fees harm individual North Carolina families and harm the North Carolina economy by discouraging people from joining the labor markets, using banks, filing taxes, starting businesses, buying houses, and conducting other activities that contribute to the economy. Please vote YES on SB-334! Thank you!
HB-722: Enact Criminal Justice Debt Reform
What it would do:
Omnibus criminal justice debt reform (this bill is much more encompassing than the Senate Version – SB 529)
Background:
Since 1999, the number of criminal court fees has increased from 4 to 52 and the amount of the fees has ballooned over 250%, with the base cost for use of court increasing from $61 to $176. Over 650,000, or 1 in 12 people, in North Carolina have unpaid criminal court debt. People of color and people from low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by the consequences of criminal court debt.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. Criminal court fees are an unnecessary burden keeping people who have committed offenses from fully reintegrating into society. These fees limit economic mobility by saddling people with insurmountable debt, causing significant emotional stress, often forcing families to choose between putting food on the table and paying their criminal debt. Criminal court fees make North Carolina LESS safe by making it more likely that people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system will continue to make poor choices due to desperation. Please vote YES on HB-722! Thank you!
SB-676: North Carolina Survivors Act
What it would do:
The NC Survivors Act would seek to ensure a more trauma-informed justice system by acknowledging the role of abuse in shaping survivor behavior, creating a clear legal pathway for survivors to seek relief, providing courts with discretion to reconsider sentences where abuse was a substantial factor in the conviction, and removing legal barriers that prevent fair sentencing for survivors.
Background:
Many individuals who have survived domestic violence, sexual abuse, or coercion have been criminalized without full consideration of how their trauma shaped their actions. As a result, some survivors are serving lengthy prison sentences that fail to reflect the full context of their experiences. The NC Survivors Act (NC-SA) seeks to ensure a more trauma-informed justice system by: acknowledging the role of abuse in shaping survivor behavior, creating a clear legal pathway for survivors to seek relief. Providing courts with discretion to reconsider sentences where abuse was a substantial factor in the conviction, removing legal barriers that prevent fair sentencing for survivors.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of Senate Bill 676 (the North Carolina Survivors Act) and I am asking you to vote Yes on this bill. Our courts need to be fair in sentencing everyone, including individuals traumatized by domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or coercion. The trauma these individuals suffered may have extremely strong roles in shaping their behavior. As such, this trauma should be a factor in sentencing, allowing our justice system to be well-informed before making life-changing decisions during sentencing. Please vote Yes on SB-676. Thank you.
SB-634/HB-505: Kayla’s Act
What it would do:
Protect victims of domestic violence.
Background:
Kayla’s Law removes barriers (fear of prosecution, mistrust of law enforcement, and limited access to support) by offering limited legal immunity for minor, nonviolent offenses when reporting abuse, strengthening trauma-informed law enforcement practices, and expanding victim support networks.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to ask you to vote YES on SB-634/HB-505, “Kayla’s Act.” This bill helps domestic violence survivors by offering legal immunity for minor offenses when reporting abuse, ensuring confidential reporting, and requiring trauma-informed training for law enforcement. It also prevents searches on victims when they’re seeking help. Please support Kayla’s Law remove barriers for survivors and improve their access to help. Thank you.
SB-679: Women’s CARE Act
What it would do:
This would change the way that pregnant women are treated in the criminal justice system.
Background:
Building on the foundation of the Dignity for Women Who Are Incarcerated Act (HB-608), enacted in 2021, the proposed North Carolina Women’s CARE Act seeks to enhance the well-being of incarcerated pregnant and postpartum women. This legislation promotes maternal health, family stability, and procedural justice through evidence-based reforms that improve health outcomes, expand alternatives to incarceration, reduce strain on the foster care system, and remove barriers to healthcare.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to ask you to vote YES on SB-679 - the Women’s CARE Act. This bill supports pregnant and postpartum people by deferring incarceration, ensuring access to healthcare, and offering community-based alternatives. It helps keep families together and improves maternal health outcomes. We need compassionate, evidence-based solutions, and SB-679 does just that. It helps us rehabilitate women and families and make our community stronger because of them. Please support the Women’s CARE Act. Thank you.
SB-683: Keeping Kids and Parents Together Act
What it would do:
Community-based sentencing for primary caretakers.
Background:
Building on the foundation of the Dignity for Women Who Are Incarcerated Act (HB-608), enacted in 2021, the proposed Keeping Kids and Parents Together Act seeks to enhance the well-being of incarcerated pregnant and postpartum women and their families. This legislation promotes maternal health, family stability, and procedural justice through evidence-based reforms that improve health outcomes, expand alternatives to incarceration, reduce strain on the foster care system, and remove barriers to healthcare. It would allow court leniency to alter the sentence to involve community rehabilitation and treatment without imprisonment if the offense is non-violent and the person convicted of the offense is the primary caretaker of a child.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of SB-683 - the Keeping Kids and Parents Together Act. This Act allows for the court to do an individual assessment for appropriate sentencing, without imprisonment, based on community rehabilitation, with a focus on parent-child unity and support. The person being sentenced would still have to meet strict criteria for a sentence not involving incarceration. We would be building character for parents and for children within our community - without incarceration. Please vote YES on SB-683. Thank you.
HB-625/SB-681: Prison Resources Repurposing Act
What it would do:
Expand Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP) to allow parole for people sentenced to Life Without Parole.
Background:
North Carolina’s sentencing laws currently exclude individuals sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) from ever being considered for release—regardless of rehabilitation. This outdated structure eliminates any incentive for personal transformation and removes judicial discretion, even when individuals pose no public safety risk. Expanding parole eligibility for individuals serving LWOP, after 20 years, under a structured, merit-based process would:
• Enhance public safety by ensuring only rehabilitated individuals are eligible for release.
• Reduce taxpayer costs associated with incarcerating aging individuals with low recidivism risk.
• Address sentencing disparities for juveniles and emerging adults convicted under older, harsher laws.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of HB-625/SB-681 and I am asking you to vote YES on this bill. North Carolina needs to update their sentencing laws to reflect the fact that there are individuals sentenced to life without parole who are rehabilitated and do not pose public safety risks. Taxpayers continue to bear the cost of unnecessary incarceration. In addition, the old laws do not take into account the sentencing disparities for younger people under the older, harsher laws. Please vote YES for HB-625/SB-681 Thank you!
SB-704: Ronnie Long No Cap Act
What it would do:
Removes cap on compensation awards to people wrongly convicted.
Background:
North Carolina has witnessed the heartbreaking stories of exonerees like Ronnie Long, Charles Ray Finch, and Montoyae Dontae Sharpe—individuals who lost decades of their lives to wrongful incarceration. These survivors of the justice system: missed once-in-a-lifetime milestones like weddings, births, and graduations, lost opportunities to build careers, savings, and families, faced reentry challenges without adequate compensation, healthcare, or support. Currently, North Carolina law caps financial compensation for exonerees at $750,000, regardless of how many years were wrongfully served. This cap undervalues the loss of liberty and fails to provide adequate restitution.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of SB-704 and I am asking you to vote YES on this bill. It is unconscionable and heartbreaking that we have individuals who lost decades of their lives to wrongful incarceration. They missed family milestones; opportunities for themselves to have a family, a career; and face sometimes insurmountable challenges when re-entering society without support for housing, healthcare, employment. North Carolina law currently caps compensation for exonerees at $750,000 - no matter how many years they served wrongfully. This cap fails to provide restitution. The very least we can do as a state is give exonerees the restitution they need and deserve. Please vote YES on SB-704. Thank you.
SB-696: Limit No-Knock Warrant/Quick-Knock Entry
What it would do:
Officer must wait long enough for occupant to respond before forcing entry.
Background:
This bill places the following requirements on law enforcement seeking to enter a residence:
*Require law enforcement to provide probable cause to support the issuance of a no-knock search warrant.
*Requiring applications for search warrants to enter a vehicle or premises without notice to include (1) a statement that there is probable cause to believe giving notice would endanger the life or safety of a person, and (2) allegations of fact setting out the probable cause to believe that giving notice when executing the search warrant would endanger a person’s life or safety.
*Requiring an officer executing a search warrant to give notice and then provide enough time for the occupant of the premises to respond or for the officer to determine that admittance is being delayed, or the premises is unoccupied, before entering by force.
*To allow entry by force when executing a search warrant if either (1) the officer previously announced and waited or (2) the warrant includes the requirements for entry without notice.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of SB-696 and I am asking you to vote YES on this bill. SB-696 would limit the use of no-knock warrants and quick-knock entry in North Carolina. Nationwide, innocent people have been killed because officers did not have to knock and allow people time to respond. Other states have banned or limited no-knock warrants, literally to save lives. North Carolina should do the same. Please vote YES on SB-696. Thank you.
HB-237: Modify the Physical Health and Safety of Others
What it would do:
Discourages prenatal care by criminalizing substance use during pregnancy. Increases unnecessary government surveillance and potential child removals. Fails to invest in proven solutions like treatment, family support, or community-based care.
Background:
While HB-237 claims to improve child welfare by enhancing oversight and responses to abuse and neglect, it takes a punitive, carceral approach to complex health and family issues—particularly impacting pregnant individuals and families struggling with substance use. This bill:
• Discourages prenatal care by criminalizing substance use during pregnancy.
• Increases unnecessary government surveillance and potential child removals.
• Fails to invest in proven solutions like treatment, family support, or community-based care.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am opposed to HB-237 and I am asking you to vote NO on this bill. HB-237 takes only a punitive approach to issues impacting pregnant individuals and those struggling with addiction. This approach does not address the root causes - like poverty, addiction treatment access, and lack of prenatal care. There are proven strategies for child and maternal health that are not punitive, and that would actually improve life for North Carolinians. Let’s look into those, please. Please vote NO on HB 237. Thank you.
HB-980: Remove Barriers to Employment from Court Debt
What it would do:
Remove Barriers to Employment from Court Debt
Background:
North Carolina is one of the minority states that automatically suspends a motorist’s driver’s license for unpaid traffic-related fines and fees or for missing a court date. The license remains suspended until the motorist addresses the failure to pay by paying or otherwise resolving the debt; or handles the failure to appear by having the case re-scheduled with the court or dismissed. Since poverty and debt are common experiences in North Carolina, thousands of people are not able to ever have their license reinstated. Indeed, the average suspension length is approximately 8.5 years.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent calling from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of HB-980 and I am asking you to support this bill. More than a million people in North Carolina have suspended drivers’ licenses because of unpaid fines or fees or for missed court dates. Suspending a driver’s license is devastating to many people. It impacts a person’s ability to go to meaningful jobs, to take care of their family, and to travel to doctor appointments. HB-980 ends the practice of license suspensions for unpaid fines and fees and missed court dates, lifts current suspensions, and proposes a text reminding program to get people to their court dates - all positive actions. Please support HB-980. Thank you.
HB-733: The Everybody Eats Act
What it would do:
This would end the automatic denial of SNAP and TANF benefits for individuals who have been convicted of a drug-related felony or felonies.
Background:
North Carolina should ensure access to food assistance for people reentering society from our criminal legal system. In 1994, the federal government passed a law that bans people with a drug-related felony conviction from receiving food stamps and cash assistance programs (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or “SNAP” and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or “TANF”). However, the federal law allows states to opt out of the ban to ensure food access for their residents. North Carolina has partially opted out of the ban by allowing people convicted of Class H or I drug felonies to access SNAP and TANF after waiting a minimum of six months after their conviction or six months after their release from incarceration, and meeting special requirements which include drug treatment. People convicted of a Class G or higher drug felony are banned from SNAP and TANF benefits for life.
Script:
Hi, my name is [give your name] and I’m a constituent calling from [give your address and zip]. I am calling to let you know I am in favor of HB-733 and I am asking you to support this bill. People re-entering communities after incarceration are more likely to face food insecurity than the general public, and need help to feed themselves and their families. Even though North Carolina has partially lifted the ban on receiving food benefits, women and children are the ones who still suffer the most. The SNAP and TANF ban disproportionately impacts women and children because more than 70% of all recipients are families with children, and women are twice as likely than men to receive benefits. The District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and twenty-nine states have completely stopped banning people with felony drug convictions from accessing SNAP and TANF benefits. Why can’t North Carolina support this also? Please vote YES on HB-733. Thank you.