GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H D HOUSE BILL DRH10098-MVf-11A Short Title: Waive Annual Report/Fee For Deployed Military. (Public) Sponsors: Representative Carver. Referred to: *DRH10098 -MVf-11A* A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 AN ACT TO WAIVE THE ANNUAL REPORT REQUIREMENT AND FEE FOR BUSINESS 2 ENTITIES OWNED BY DEPLOYED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 3 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4 SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 55-16-22(a) reads as rewritten: 5 "§ 55-16-22. Annual report. 6 (a) Requirement. – Except as provided in G.S. 55-16-22.3 and in subsections (a1) and 7 (a2) of this section, each domestic corporation and each foreign corporation authorized to transact 8 business in this State shall deliver an annual report directly to the Secretary of State in electronic 9 form or in paper form as prescribed by the Secretary of State under this section." 10 SECTION 1.(b) Article 16 of Chapter 55 of the General Statutes is amended by 11 adding a new section to read: 12 "§ 55-16-22.3. Exemptions for corporations owned by deployed members of the Armed 13 Forces. 14 (a) For the purposes of this section, a deployed member of the Armed Forces is a member 15 of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy, or a member of any 16 reserve component, who is removed from his or her county of residence pursuant to an official 17 order for a deployment period that ends on or after the ninetieth day preceding the due date of 18 the annual report required by G.S. 55-16-22. 19 (b) Notwithstanding G.S. 55-16-22, an annual report is deemed timely filed if it is filed 20 by a domestic or foreign corporation (i) in which more than fifty percent (50%) of the ownership 21 interest is owned by one or more deployed members of the Armed Forces and (ii) within 90 days 22 of the end of the deployment period. The following provisions apply: 23 (1) Prior to the start of the deployment, the corporation shall file notice of 24 deployment with the Secretary of State in electronic or paper form as 25 prescribed by the Secretary of State. The notice shall include the following: 26 a. The name of the corporation and the state under whose law it is 27 incorporated. 28 b. A copy of the orders for deployment or written verification from the 29 commanding officer. 30 c. A statement either certifying that the information contained in the most 31 recently filed annual report has not changed or setting forth the 32 updated information required by G.S. 55-16-22(a3)(2) through (5). 33 (2) The due date of the corporation's next annual report is the ninetieth business 34 day following the end of the deployment. If the deployment is extended, the 35 corporation's annual report is due the ninetieth business day following the end 36 H.B. 250 Feb 27, 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 Page 2 DRH10098-MVf-11A of the extension period. At the time of filing, the corporation may submit a 1 copy of orders or written verification from the commanding officer of the 2 extension period, and the report is retroactively deemed timely filed. 3 (3) The grounds for dissolution under G.S. 55-14-20 apply to corporations that 4 are subject to this section only if the period of delinquency for the applicable 5 ground is 180 days or more past the end of the deployment period indicated 6 in the documentation provided to the Secretary of State under this section. 7 (c) Any fees required by G.S. 55-1-22 for documents filed under subdivision (b)(1) of 8 this section are waived. Additionally, the fee required by G.S. 55-1-22 for the annual report due 9 on the ninetieth business day following the end of deployment under subdivision (b)(2) of this 10 section is waived." 11 SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 57D-2-24 reads as rewritten: 12 "§ 57D-2-24. Annual report for Secretary of State. 13 (a) Excluding professional limited liability companies governed by G.S. 57D-2-02, 14 G.S. 57D-2-02 and except as provided in G.S. 57D-2-26, each LLC and each foreign LLC 15 authorized to transact business in this State must deliver to the Secretary of State for filing annual 16 reports on a form prescribed by, and in the manner required by, the Secretary of State and as 17 otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section. Each annual report must specify the year for 18 which the report applies and provide the information required by this subsection. The information 19 must be current as of the date the limited liability company completes the report. If the 20 information in the limited liability company's most recent annual report has not changed, the 21 limited liability company may certify in its annual report that the information has not changed in 22 lieu of restating the information. 23 The following information must be included in each annual report: 24 (1) The name of the limited liability company and, in the case of a foreign LLC, 25 any different name that the foreign LLC is authorized under Article 3 of 26 Chapter 55D of the General Statutes to use to transact business in this State, 27 as provided in the foreign LLC's certificate of authority. 28 (2) In the case of a foreign LLC, the name of the jurisdiction under whose law the 29 foreign LLC is organized. 30 (3) The street address, and the mailing address if different from the street address, 31 of the limited liability company's registered office in the State, the county in 32 which the registered office is located, the name of its registered agent at that 33 office, and a statement of any change of the registered office or registered 34 agent. 35 (4) The address and telephone number of its principal office. 36 (5) The names, titles, and business addresses of the limited liability company's 37 principal company officials. 38 (6) A brief description of the nature of its business. 39 …." 40 SECTION 2.(b) Article 2 of Chapter 57D of the General Statutes is amended by 41 adding a new section to read: 42 "§ 57D-2-26. Exemptions for LLCs owned by deployed members of the Armed Forces. 43 (a) For the purposes of this section, a deployed member of the Armed Forces is a member 44 of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy, or a member of any 45 reserve component, who is removed from his or her county of residence pursuant to an official 46 order for a deployment period that ends on or after January 15 of the year in which the annual 47 report is due under G.S. 57D-2-24. 48 (b) Notwithstanding G.S. 57D-2-24, an annual report is deemed timely filed if it is filed 49 by an LLC or foreign LLC (i) in which more than fifty percent (50%) of the ownership interest 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 DRH10098-MVf-11A Page 3 is owned by one or more deployed members of the Armed Forces and (ii) by April 15 of the year 1 immediately following the end of the deployment period. The following provisions apply: 2 (1) Prior to the start of the deployment, the LLC or foreign LLC shall file notice 3 of deployment with the Secretary of State in electronic or paper form as 4 prescribed by the Secretary of State. The notice shall include the following: 5 a. The name of the LLC or foreign LLC and, for a foreign LLC, any 6 different name under which it is authorized to transact business in this 7 State. 8 b. A copy of the orders for deployment or written verification from the 9 commanding officer. 10 c. A statement either certifying that the information contained in the most 11 recently filed annual report has not changed or setting forth the 12 updated information required by G.S. 57D-2-24. 13 (2) The due date of the LLC's or foreign LLC's next annual report is April 15 of 14 the year immediately following the end of the deployment. 15 (3) If the extension of a deployment results in the annual report being deemed 16 delinquent, the LLC or foreign LLC may submit a copy of orders or written 17 verification from the commanding officer of the original deployment and 18 extension period at the time the annual report is submitted. The report is 19 retroactively deemed timely filed, and any adverse action taken by the 20 Secretary of State shall be reversed. 21 (4) The grounds for dissolution under G.S. 57D-6-06 apply to LLCs and foreign 22 LLCs that are subject to this section only if the period of delinquency for the 23 applicable ground is 180 days or more past the end of the deployment period 24 indicated in the documentation provided to the Secretary of State under this 25 section. 26 (c) Any fees required by G.S. 57D-1-22 for documents filed under subdivision (b)(1) of 27 this section are waived. Additionally, the fee required by G.S. 57D-1-22 for the annual report 28 due April 15 of the year immediately following the end of deployment under subdivision (b)(2) 29 of this section is waived." 30 SECTION 3.(a) G.S. 59-84.4 reads as rewritten: 31 "§ 59-84.4. Annual report for Secretary of State. 32 (a) Each Except as provided in G.S. 59-84.6, each registered limited liability partnership 33 and each foreign limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in this State shall 34 deliver to the Secretary of State for filing an annual report, in a form prescribed by the Secretary 35 of State, that sets forth all of the following: 36 (1) The name of the registered limited liability partnership or foreign limited 37 liability partnership and the state or country under whose law it is formed. 38 (2) The street address, and the mailing address if different from the street address, 39 of the registered office, the county in which the registered office is located, 40 and the name of its registered agent at that office in this State, and a statement 41 of any change of the registered office or registered agent, or both. 42 (3) The street address and telephone number of its principal office. 43 (4) A brief description of the nature of its business. 44 (5) The fiscal year end of the partnership. 45 If the information contained in the most recently filed annual report has not changed, a 46 certification to that effect may be made instead of setting forth the information required by 47 subdivisions (2) through (4) of this subsection. The Secretary of State shall make available the 48 form required to file an annual report. 49 …." 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 Page 4 DRH10098-MVf-11A SECTION 3.(b) Article 3B of Chapter 59 of the General Statutes is amended by 1 adding a new section to read: 2 "§ 59-84.6. Exemptions for limited liability partnerships owned by deployed members of 3 the Armed Forces. 4 (a) For the purposes of this section, a deployed member of the Armed Forces is a member 5 of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy, or a member of any 6 reserve component, who is removed from his or her county of residence pursuant to an official 7 order for a deployment period that ends on or after the ninetieth day preceding the due date of 8 the annual report required by G.S. 59-84.4. 9 (b) Notwithstanding G.S. 59-84.4, an annual report is deemed timely filed if it is filed by 10 a registered or foreign limited liability partnership (i) in which more than fifty percent (50%) of 11 the ownership interest is owned by one or more deployed members of the Armed Forces and (ii) 12 within 90 days of the end of the deployment period. The following provisions apply: 13 (1) Prior to the start of the deployment, the registered or foreign limited liability 14 partnership shall file notice of deployment with the Secretary of State in 15 electronic or paper form as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The notice 16 shall include the following: 17 a. The name of the registered or foreign limited liability partnership and 18 the state under whose law it is incorporated. 19 b. A copy of the orders for deployment or written verification from the 20 commanding officer. 21 c. A statement either certifying that the information contained in the most 22 recently filed annual report has not changed or setting forth the 23 updated information required by G.S. 59-84.4(a)(2) through (5). 24 (2) The due date of the registered or foreign limited liability partnership's next 25 annual report is the ninetieth business day following the end of the 26 deployment. If the deployment is extended, the corporation's annual report is 27 due the ninetieth business day following the end of the extension period. At 28 the time of filing, the corporation may submit a copy of orders or written 29 verification from the commanding officer of the extension period, and the 30 annual report is retroactively deemed timely filed. 31 (3) The grounds for revocation of registration under G.S. 59-84.4(f) apply to 32 registered and foreign limited liability partnerships that are subject to this 33 section only if the period of delinquency for the applicable ground is 180 days 34 or more past the end of the deployment period indicated in the documentation 35 provided to the Secretary of State under this section. 36 (c) Any fees required by G.S. 59-35.2 for documents filed under subdivision (b)(1) of 37 this section are waived. Additionally, the fee required by G.S. 59-35.2 for the annual report due 38 on the ninetieth business day following the end of deployment under subdivision (b)(2) of this 39 section is waived." 40 SECTION 4. The Secretary of State shall make available the form or forms needed 41 for the notice of deployment required by this act and shall take any other action necessary to 42 allow business entities to begin filing pursuant to this act on October 1, 2025. 43 SECTION 5. Sections 1 through 3 of this act become effective October 1, 2025. The 44 remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law. 45