GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 953
Short Title: Study Committee on ADA/APD/PAC Pay. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Budd, Carson Smith, and T. Brown (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 14, 2025
*H953 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE STUDY COMMITTEE ON ASSISTANT DISTRICT 2
ATTORNEY, ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER, AND PRIVATE ASSIGNED 3
COUNSEL PAY RATES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. Committee Established. – There is established the Study Committee 6
on Assistant District Attorney, Assistant Public Defender, and Private Assigned Counsel Pay 7
Rates (Committee). The Committee shall include 12 voting members, as follows: 8
(1) Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of 9
the House of Representatives. 10
(2) Two members of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the 11
Senate. 12
(3) Two members appointed by the Conference of District Attorneys. 13
(4) Two members appointed by the Office of Indigent Defense Services. 14
(5) Two members of the State Bar that practice criminal law, appointed by the 15
North Carolina Bar Association. 16
(6) Two members of the State Bar that practice criminal law, appointed by the 17
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 18
SECTION 2. Nonvoting Members; Cochairs. – The Executive Director of the 19
Conference of District Attorneys and the Executive Director of Indigent Defense Services shall 20
serve as nonvoting ex officio members of the Committee and shall serve as cochairs of the 21
Committee. 22
SECTION 3. Vacancies. – A vacancy on the Committee shall be filled by the original 23
appointing authority using the criteria for the prior appointment. 24
SECTION 4. Duties. – The Committee shall serve as a study and advisory committee 25
on the pay rates of assistant district attorneys, assistant public defenders, and private assigned 26
counsel. Pursuant to this work, the Committee shall study, at a minimum, each of the following: 27
(1) The current state of assistant district attorney, assistant public defender, and 28
private assigned counsel pay throughout the State, in general, and when 29
separated into the three cost-of-living categories of urban, suburban, and rural. 30
(2) The current pay structure for assistant district attorneys, assistant public 31
defenders, and private assigned counsel. 32
(3) The comparison between North Carolina's pay and pay structures studied 33
pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of this section and the pay and pay 34
structures of comparable positions in neighboring and nearby states. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 953-First Edition
(4) The differences in cost of living, availability of housing, and other associated 1
costs in various cities, counties, and regions of the State. 2
(5) Factors that positively or negatively influence law students and attorneys 3
regarding the choice to serve as assistant district attorneys, assistant public 4
defenders, or private assigned counsel, including, at a minimum, the following 5
factors: 6
a. Local amenities. 7
b. Local school quality. 8
c. Economic development opportunities. 9
(6) The structured pay model utilized by the Offices of the United States 10
Attorneys. 11
(7) The structured pay and amenity allowances utilized by the United States 12
Armed Services. 13
(8) Any other subject the Committee finds relevant to its work. 14
SECTION 5. Administration. – The Committee shall meet upon the call of its 15
cochairs, and a quorum of the Committee shall be a majority of its voting members. Members of 16
the Committee shall receive per diem and necessary travel and subsistence expenses in 17
accordance with G.S. 120-3.1, 138-5, and 138-6, as applicable. The Committee may meet in the 18
Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. The Legislative Services Officer shall 19
assign professional and clerical staff and provide other necessary resources to assist the 20
Committee in its work. 21
SECTION 6. Reporting. – No later than March 1, 2026, in an interim report, and 22
March 1, 2027, in a final report, the Committee shall report to the following entities regarding 23
the information studied pursuant to this act, including any related findings and legislative 24
recommendations: 25
(1) The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety. 26
(2) The Senate Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety. 27
(3) The House Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety. 28
SECTION 7. This act is effective when it becomes law. 29