GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH50001-LM-22C
Short Title: Employment Preference for Military Personnel. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Charles Smith.
Referred to:
*DRH50001 -LM-22C*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT REVISING THE EMPLOYMENT PREFERENCE FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL 2
TO ELIMINATE REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO PERIOD OF WAR AND TO 3
INCLUDE PERSONS SERVING ON ACTIVE DUTY, MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 4
FORCES RESERVE, AND THEIR SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. G.S. 128-15 reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 128-15. Employment preference for veterans military personnel and their spouses or 8
surviving military spouses. 9
(a) It shall be the policy of the State of North Carolina that, in appreciation for their 10
service to this State and this country during a period of war, country, and in recognition of the 11
time and advantage lost toward the pursuit of a civilian career, veterans and eligible members of 12
the National Guard the following military personnel and their spouses and dependents shall be 13
granted preference in employment with every State department, agency, and 14
institution.institution: 15
(1) A "veteran" which, for purposes of this section, means a person who served 16
in the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty, for reasons other than 17
training, and has been discharged under honorable conditions. 18
(2) A person serving on active duty as long as the person complies with federal 19
law and regulations regarding off-duty employment. 20
(3) A member of the United States Armed Forces Reserve. 21
(4) A member of the National Guard. 22
(5) A spouse of a person who qualifies under subdivisions (1) through (4) of this 23
subsection. 24
(6) A spouse or dependent of a disabled person who qualifies under subdivisions 25
(1) through (4) of this subsection. 26
(7) A spouse or dependent of a person who qualifies under subdivisions (1) 27
through (4) of this subsection and was killed while on active duty. 28
(b) As used in this section: 29
(1) Period of war. – World War I (April 16, 1917, through November 11, 1918), 30
World War II (December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946), the Korean 31
Conflict (June 27, 1950, through January 31, 1955), the period of time 32
between January 31, 1955, and the end of the hostilities in Vietnam (May 7, 33
1975), or any other campaign, expedition, or engagement for which a 34
campaign badge or medal is authorized by the United States Department of 35
Defense. 36
H.B. 114
Feb 12, 2025
HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 DRH50001-LM-22C
(2) Veteran. – A person who served in the Armed Forces of the United States on 1
active duty, for reasons other than training, and has been discharged under 2
other than dishonorable conditions. 3
(3) Eligible veteran. – Any of the following: 4
a. A veteran who served during a period of war. 5
b. The spouse of a disabled veteran. 6
c. The surviving spouse or dependent of a veteran who dies on active 7
duty during a period of war either directly or indirectly as the result of 8
such service. 9
d. A veteran who suffered a disabling injury for service-related reasons 10
during peacetime. 11
e. The spouse of a veteran described in sub-subdivision d. of this 12
subdivision. 13
f. The surviving spouse or dependent of a person who served in the 14
Armed Forces of the United States on active duty, for reasons other 15
than training, who dies for service-related reasons during peacetime. 16
(4) Eligible member of the National Guard. – Any of the following: 17
a. A resident of North Carolina who is a current member in good standing 18
of either the North Carolina Army National Guard or the North 19
Carolina Air National Guard. 20
b. A resident of North Carolina who is a former member of either the 21
North Carolina Army National Guard or the North Carolina Air 22
National Guard, whose discharge is under honorable conditions with 23
a minimum of six years of creditable service. 24
c. The surviving spouse and dependent of a member of the North 25
Carolina Army National Guard or the North Carolina Air National 26
Guard who dies on State active duty either directly or indirectly as a 27
result of that service. 28
d. The surviving spouse or dependent of a member of the North Carolina 29
National Guard who died for service-related reasons during peacetime. 30
(c) Hereafter, in all evaluations of applicants for positions with this State or any of its 31
departments, institutions or agencies, a preference shall be awarded to all eligible veterans and 32
eligible members of the National Guard who are citizens of the State and who served the State 33
or the United States honorably in the military forces of this State or of the United States during 34
a period of war. military personnel and their spouses and dependents listed in subsection (a) of 35
this section. This preference applies to initial employment with the State and extends to other 36
employment events including subsequent hirings, promotions, reassignments, and horizontal 37
transfers. 38
(d) The provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions of Article 1 of Chapter 39
165 of the General Statutes, G.S. 126-83, and Parts 13 and 19 of Article 9 of Chapter 143B of 40
the General Statutes." 41
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to applications 42
and other employment events occurring on or after that date. 43