North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S645 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 645
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS45272-NEa-57
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: The Protect Our Schools Act. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Everitt, Bradley, and Grafstein (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S645 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS45272 -NEa-57
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO IDENTIFY 2
14	15		SCHOOL WALK ZONES ; SETTING LOWER SPEED LIMITS IN SCHOOL WALK 3
15	16		ZONES; INCREASING CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR INJURING A MINOR IN A 4
16	17		CROSSWALK, SCHOOL ZONE, OR SCHOOL WALK ZONE ; AND CREATING AND 5
17	18		APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ENHANCEMENT FUND . 6
18	19		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
19	20		SECTION 1.(a) This act shall be known as "The Protect Our Schools Act." 8
20	21		SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 20-4.01 reads as rewritten: 9
21	22		"§ 20-4.01. Definitions. 10
22	23		Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply throughout this 11
23	24		Chapter to the defined words and phrases and their cognates: 12
24	25		… 13
25	26		(38a) School Walk Zone. – An area within a school zone, identified by the 14
26	27		Department pursuant to G.S. 20-141.1, that is likely to sustain pedestrian 15
27	28		traffic sufficient to render the speed limits designated in G.S. 20-141 unsafe. 16
28	29		…." 17
29	30		SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 20-141.1 reads as rewritten: 18
30	31		"§ 20-141.1. Speed limits in school zones.zones and school walk zones. 19
31	32		(a) Optional Lower Speed Limits. – The Board of Transportation or local authorities 20
32	33		within their respective jurisdictions may, by ordinance, set speed limits lower than those 21
33	34		designated in G.S. 20-141 for areas adjacent to or near a public, private or parochial school. 22
34	35		(b) Mandatory Lower Speed Limits. – The Department of Transportation shall annually 23
35	36		consult with the governing body of each public school unit and each nonpublic school operating 24
36	37		pursuant to Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 39 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes to designate 25
37	38		school walk zones. In all designated school walk zones, the Department shall (i) set speed limits 26
38	39		lower than those designated in G.S. 20-141 and (ii) ensure appropriate actions are taken to 27
39	40		effectuate the reduced speed limit. 28
40	41		(c) Implementation Requirements. – Limits set pursuant to this section shall become 29
41	42		effective when signs are erected giving notice of the school zone, or school walk zone, the 30
42	43		authorized speed limit, and the days and hours when the lower limit is effective, or by erecting 31
43	44		signs giving notice of the school zone, or school walk zone, the authorized speed limit and which 32
44	45		indicate the days and hours the lower limit is effective by an electronic flasher operated with a 33
45	46		time clock. Limits set pursuant to this section may be enforced only on days when school is in 34
46	47		session, and no speed limit below 20 miles per hour may be set under the authority of this section. 35
47		-	A 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 645-First Edition
	48	+	A 36
	49	+	FILED SENATE
	50	+	Mar 25, 2025
	51	+	S.B. 645
	52	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	53	+	Page 2 DRS45272-NEa-57
49	54		(d) Penalty. – Unless covered under some other provision of law providing greater 1
50	55		punishment, a person who drives who: 2
51	56		(1) Drives a motor vehicle in a school zone or school walk zone at a speed greater 3
52	57		than the speed limit set and posted under this section is responsible for an 4
53	58		infraction and is required to pay a penalty of two hundred fifty dollars 5
54	59		($250.00). 6
55	60		(2) Drives a motor vehicle in a school zone or school walk zone without due care 7
56	61		resulting in injury to a minor is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor." 8
57	62		SECTION 1.(d) G.S. 20-173 reads as rewritten: 9
58	63		"§ 20-173. Pedestrians' right-of-way at crosswalks. 10
59	64		… 11
60	65		(d) Unless covered under some other provision of law providing greater punishment, a 12
61	66		person who drives a motor vehicle in a school zone or school walk zone at a speed greater than 13
62	67		the speed limit set and posted under this section is responsible for an infraction and is required 14
63	68		to pay a penalty of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00). If the violation results in injury to a 15
64	69		minor, the person is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor." 16
65	70		SECTION 2.(a) The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Fund is established as a special 17
66	71		fund within the Department of Transportation to be administered by the Department. The purpose 18
67	72		of this fund is to support pedestrian safety initiatives. 19
68	73		SECTION 2.(b) Notwithstanding G.S. 143C-5-2, there is appropriated from the 20
69	74		Highway Fund to the Department of Transportation for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of ten 21
70	75		million dollars ($10,000,000) in nonrecurring funds to be allocated to the Pedestrian Safety 22
71	76		Enhancement Fund established in Section 2(a) of this act. The Department shall allocate these 23
72	77		funds as follows: 24
73	78		(1) Five million dollars ($5,000,000) for assessing areas likely to be designated 25
74	79		school walk zones and for infrastructure improvements within those areas. 26
75	80		(2) Two million dollars ($2,000,000) for developing and implementing training 27
76	81		for school crosswalk guards. 28
77	82		(3) Three million dollars ($3,000,000) to increase public awareness regarding 29
78	83		pedestrian safety. This public awareness campaign shall (i) focus on educating 30
79	84		the public about pending school walk zones and (ii) promote community 31
80	85		engagement to raise awareness and encourage responsible driving in school 32
81	86		zones and school walk zones. 33
82	87		SECTION 2.(c) This section becomes effective July 1, 2025. 34
83	88		SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective December 1, 35
84	89		2025, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date. 36