North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S311 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 2
	3	+	S 1
4	4		SENATE BILL 311
5		-	~~Judiciary Committee Substitute Adopted 3/25/25~~
	5	+
6	6
7	7		Short Title: Utility Worker Protection Act. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors:
9		-	Referred to:
	8	+	Sponsors: Senators Britt, Craven, and Blue (Primary Sponsors).
	9	+	Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
10	10		March 18, 2025
11		-	S311 -v-2
	11	+	S311 -v-1
12	12		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	13		AN ACT TO INCREASE T HE PUNISHMENT FOR CO MMITTING AN ASSAULT 2
14	14		AGAINST A UTILITY OR COMMUNICATIONS WORK ER. 3
15	15		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
16	16		SECTION 1. G.S. 14-33(b) reads as rewritten: 5
17	17		"(b) Unless his the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater 6
18	18		punishment, any person who commits any assault, assault and battery, or affray is guilty of a 7
19	19		Class 1 misdemeanor if, in the course of the assault, assault and battery, or affray, he:he or she 8
20	20		does any of the following: 9
21	21		… 10
22	22		(9) Commits an assault and battery against a sports official when the sports 11
23	23		official is discharging or attempting to discharge official duties at a sports 12
24	24		event, or immediately after the sports event at which the sports official 13
25	25		discharged official duties. A "sports official" is a person at a sports event who 14
26	26		enforces the rules of the event, such as an umpire or referee, or a person who 15
27	27		supervises the participants, such as a coach. A "sports event" includes any 16
28	28		interscholastic or intramural athletic activity in a primary, middle, junior high, 17
29	29		or high school, college, or university, any organized athletic activity 18
30	30		sponsored by a community, business, or nonprofit organization, any athletic 19
31	31		activity that is a professional or semiprofessional event, and any other 20
32	32		organized athletic activity in the State. 21
33	33		(10) Assaults a utility or communications worker while the worker is (i) readily 22
34	34		identifiable as a worker and (ii) discharging or attempting to discharge his or 23
35	35		her duties. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "utility or 24
36	36		communications worker" means an employee of, agent of, or under contract 25
37	37		with an organization, entity, or company, whether State-created or privately, 26
38	38		municipally, county, or cooperatively owned, that provides electricity, natural 27
39		-	gas, liquid petroleum, water, wastewater, telecommunications services, or 28
40		-	internet access services. For purposes of this subdivision, the term "readily 29
41		-	identifiable as a worker" shall be construed to include the worker wearing, at 30
42		-	the time of the assault, a uniform, hat, or other outerwear bearing the logo of 31
43		-	the utility or communications company for which the worker is an employee 32
44		-	of, agent of, or under contract with." 33
45		-	SECTION 2. Prosecutions for offenses committed before the effective date of this 34
46		-	act are not abated or affected by this act, and the statutes that would be applicable but for this act 35
47		-	remain applicable to those prosecutions. 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 311-Second Edition
	39	+	gas, telecommunications services, or internet access services. For purposes of 28
	40	+	this subdivision, the term "readily identifiable as a worker" shall be construed 29
	41	+	to include the worker wearing, at the time of the assault, a uniform, hat, or 30
	42	+	other outerwear bearing the logo of the utility or communications company 31
	43	+	for which the worker is an employee of, agent of, or under contract with." 32
	44	+	SECTION 2. Prosecutions for offenses committed before the effective date of this 33
	45	+	act are not abated or affected by this act, and the statutes that would be applicable but for this act 34
	46	+	remain applicable to those prosecutions. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	47	+	Page 2 Senate Bill 311-First Edition
49	48		SECTION 3. This act becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to offenses 1
50	49		committed on or after that date. 2