North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H919 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 1
4		-	HOUSE BILL 919
	3	+	H D
	4	+	HOUSE BILL DRH30191-MU-1
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: Fair Access to Financial Services. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors: Representatives Scott, Balkcom, N. Jackson, and Biggs (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10		-	Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11		-	April 14, 2025
12		-	H919 -v-1
	9	+	Sponsors: Representative Scott.
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRH30191 -MU-1
13	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
14	14		AN ACT TO PROTECT CONSUMERS THROUGH FAIR ACCESS TO FINANCIAL 2
15	15		SERVICES. 3
16	16		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
17	17		SECTION 1. Article 6 of Chapter 53C of the General Statutes is amended by adding 5
18	18		a new section to read: 6
19	19		"§ 53C-6-21. Discrimination prohibited. 7
20	20		(a) Unlawful Factors. – It is unlawful for a bank to deny or cancel its services to a person, 8
21	21		or to otherwise discriminate against a person in providing its services, on the basis of any of the 9
22	22		following factors: 10
23	23		(1) The person's political opinions, speech, or affiliations. 11
24	24		(2) The person's religious beliefs, religious exercise, or religious affiliations, 12
25	25		unless the bank claims a religious purpose. 13
26	26		(3) Any factor if it is not a quantitative, impartial, and risk-based standard, 14
27	27		including any factor related to the person's business. 15
28	28		(4) The use of any rating, scoring, analysis, tabulation, or action that considers a 16
29	29		social credit score based on any of the following: 17
30	30		a. The person's lawful ownership of a firearm. 18
31	31		b. The person's engagement in the lawful manufacture, distribution, sale, 19
32	32		purchase, or use of firearms or ammunition. 20
33	33		c. The person's engagement in the exploration, production, utilization, 21
34	34		transportation, sale, or manufacture of fossil fuel-based energy, 22
35	35		timber, mining, or agriculture. 23
36	36		d. The person's support of the State or federal government in combating 24
37	37		illegal immigration, drug trafficking, or human trafficking. 25
38	38		e. The person's failure or expected failure to meet any of the following 26
39	39		so long as the person is in compliance with State and federal law: 27
40	40		1. Environmental standards, including emissions standards, 28
41	41		benchmarks, requirements, or disclosures. 29
42	42		2. Social governance standards, benchmarks, or requirements, 30
43	43		including environmental or social justice. 31
44	44		3. Corporate board or company employment composition 32
45	45		standards, benchmarks, requirements, or disclosures based on 33
46		-	personal characteristics protected by law. 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
47		-	Page 2 House Bill 919-First Edition
	46	+	personal characteristics protected by law. 34
	47	+	H.B. 919
	48	+	Apr 10, 2025
	49	+	HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	50	+	Page 2 DRH30191-MU-1
48	51		4. Policies or procedures requiring or encouraging employee 1
49	52		participation in social justice programming, including 2
50	53		diversity, equity, or inclusion training. 3
51	54		(5) The person's engagement with, facilitation of, employment by, support of, 4
52	55		business relationship with, representation of, or advocacy for any person 5
53	56		described in this subsection. 6
54	57		(b) Subjective Standards. – A bank may offer a service to a person based on subjective 7
55	58		standards only if the standards are fully disclosed and explained to the person before entering 8
56	59		into a contract for the service. The bank shall obtain a signature from the person attesting that the 9
57	60		bank has disclosed and explained the subjective standards being used by the bank. 10
58	61		(c) Annual Report. – By January 1 of each year, a bank shall attest, under penalty of 11
59	62		perjury, on a form prescribed by the Commissioner whether the bank is in compliance with this 12
60	63		section. 13
61	64		(d) Private Right of Action. – A person aggrieved by a violation of this section may bring 14
62	65		an action for damages or injunctive relief. A violation of this section is an unfair or deceptive 15
63	66		trade practice under G.S. 75-1.1." 16
64	67		SECTION 2. G.S. 54B-78 reads as rewritten: 17
65	68		"§ 54B-78. Prohibited practices. 18
66	69		(a) Any A person or association who shall engage that engages in any either of the 19
67	70		following acts or practices shall be is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor: 20
68	71		(1) Defamation: Making, publishing, disseminating, or circulating, directly or 21
69	72		indirectly, or aiding, abetting, or encouraging the making, publishing, 22
70	73		disseminating, or circulating of of, any oral, written, or printed statement 23
71	74		which that is false regarding the financial condition of any association. 24
72	75		(2) False information and advertising: Making, publishing, disseminating, or 25
73	76		circulating or causing, directly or indirectly, to be made published, 26
74	77		disseminated, circulated, or otherwise placed before the public in any 27
75	78		publication, media, notice, pamphlet, letter, poster, or any other way, an 28
76	79		advertisement, announcement, or statement containing any assertion, 29
77	80		representation, or statement with respect to the savings and loan business or 30
78	81		with respect to any person in the conduct of the savings and loan business 31
79	82		which that is untrue, deceptive, or misleading. 32
80	83		(b) The provisions of G.S. 53C-6-21 apply to a State association." 33
81	84		SECTION 3. G.S. 54C-64 reads as rewritten: 34
82	85		"§ 54C-64. Prohibited practices. 35
83	86		(a) A person who that engages in any either of the following acts or practices is guilty of 36
84	87		a Class 1 misdemeanor: 37
85	88		(1) Defamation: Making, publishing, disseminating, or circulating, directly or 38
86	89		indirectly, or aiding, abetting, or encouraging the making, publishing, 39
87	90		disseminating, or circulating of of, any oral, written, or printed statement that 40
88	91		is false regarding the financial condition of any savings bank. 41
89	92		(2) False information and advertising: Making, publishing, disseminating, 42
90	93		circulating, or otherwise placing before the public in any publication, media, 43
91	94		notice, pamphlet, letter, poster, or any other way, an advertisement, 44
92	95		announcement, or statement containing any assertion, representation, or 45
93	96		statement with respect to the savings bank business or with respect to any 46
94	97		person in the conduct of the savings bank business that is untrue, deceptive, 47
95	98		or misleading. 48
96	99		(3) Repealed by Session Laws 1997-241, s. 2. 49
97	100		(b) The provisions of G.S. 53C-6-21 apply to a State savings bank." 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
98		-	~~House Bill 919-First Edition~~ Page 3
	101	+	DRH30191-MU-1 Page 3
99	102		SECTION 4. Article 14C of Chapter 54 of the General Statutes is amended by adding 1
100	103		a new section to read: 2
101	104		"§ 54-109.23. Discrimination prohibited. 3
102	105		The provisions of G.S. 53C-6-21 apply to a credit union. A credit union shall submit the 4
103	106		annual report described in G.S. 53C-6-21(b) to the Administrator." 5
104	107		SECTION 5. G.S. 58-63-15 reads as rewritten: 6
105	108		"§ 58-63-15. Unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices 7
106	109		defined. 8
107	110		The following are hereby defined as unfair methods of competition and unfair and deceptive 9
108	111		acts or practices in the business of insurance: 10
109	112		… 11
110	113		(7) Unfair Discrimination. – 12
111	114		… 13
112	115		e. Refusing to insure or charging a different rate solely in consideration 14
113	116		of the risks relating to environmental, social, and governance criteria, 15
114	117		as defined in G.S. 143-162.6; diversity, equity, or inclusion policies; 16
115	118		or political and ideological factors, unless the refusal or different rate 17
116	119		is the result of the application of sound underwriting and actuarial 18
117	120		principles related to actual or reasonably anticipated loss experience. 19
118	121		…." 20
119	122		SECTION 6. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to acts committed 21
120	123		on or after that date. 22