GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 746
Short Title: Study Automation and the Workforce. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Salvador, Murdock, and Theodros (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S746 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE STUDY COMMITTEE ON AUTOMATION AND TH E 2
WORKFORCE. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. The General Assembly finds that: 5
(1) Automation during the twentieth century resulted in new job opportunities for 6
some, but it also rendered other jobs obsolete, affecting many low-income 7
workers. 8
(2) Continued automation into the twenty-first century has resulted in the further 9
diminishment of employment opportunities for some workers, especially 10
workers who lack computer skills or are disadvantaged by social inequities or 11
the digital divide. 12
(3) A comprehensive review of the current and future effects of automation on 13
the State's workforce will provide government officials, and education and 14
business leaders, with the information and insight necessary to guide the State 15
toward mitigating negative effects of automation on workers. This is 16
especially true in the case of low-income and minority workers. 17
SECTION 2.(a) Committee Established. – There is established the Study Committee 18
on Automation and the Workforce (Committee). The Committee shall include 11 voting 19
members, as follows: 20
(1) Two persons representing labor organizations or nonprofit organizations 21
engaged in workforce development efforts in this State, appointed by the 22
Governor. 23
(2) Two persons representing employers or trade organizations focused on the 24
automated workplace, appointed by the Governor. 25
(3) Two persons who are members of the Senate at the time of appointment, at 26
least one of whom represents the minority party, appointed by the President 27
Pro Tempore of the Senate. 28
(4) Two persons who are members of the House of Representatives at the time of 29
appointment, at least one of whom represents the minority party, appointed by 30
the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 31
(5) Three persons elected to membership by the members of the Committee 32
designated in subdivisions (1) through (4) of this subsection. 33
SECTION 2.(b) Nonvoting Members. – The following individuals or the 34
individual's designee shall serve as a nonvoting ex officio member of the Committee: 35
(1) The Commissioner of Agriculture. 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 746-First Edition
(2) The Commissioner of Labor. 1
(3) The Superintendent of Public Instruction. 2
(4) The Secretary of Commerce. 3
(5) The State Chief Information Officer. 4
(6) The President of the North Carolina Community College System. 5
(7) The President of The University of North Carolina. 6
SECTION 2.(c) Duties. – The Committee shall serve as a study and advisory 7
committee on the effects of automation on the State's workforce, with a special emphasis on 8
low-income and minority workers. The Committee shall review all of the following issues: 9
(1) The current and potential future impact of the following automation 10
technologies on the State's low-income workforce: 11
a. Artificial intelligence. 12
b. Industrial robotics. 13
c. Technologies that help customers serve themselves without the 14
assistance of a human worker. 15
d. Word processing software, spreadsheet software, and other software 16
or cloud computing services that reduce or eliminate the need for a 17
human worker. 18
(2) How factors such as educational opportunity gaps, geographical location, 19
urban and rural disparities, social inequities, and income levels or any other 20
relevant factors affect the displacement of low-income workers by automation 21
particularly as they affect workers facing systemic barriers to economic 22
opportunity, including but not limited to low-income, rural, and historically 23
marginalized populations. 24
(3) The education, training, and retraining requirements, and other skills 25
development, that will be necessary to help low-income workers adapt to 26
automation through the early, middle, and later years of employment to avoid 27
or defer job displacement, in collaboration with institutions of higher 28
education, community colleges, vocational training centers, and private-sector 29
partners. 30
(4) Recommend strategies for mitigating economic disruption and identifying 31
new economic opportunities created by automation and artificial intelligence. 32
The committee's recommendations shall include consideration of workforce 33
impacts and potential growth within emerging industries projected to expand 34
alongside these technologies, including clean energy, advanced 35
manufacturing, technology services, and healthcare, where appropriate. 36
The Committee may review any other pertinent matter relevant to the effects of 37
automation on the State's workforce. 38
SECTION 2.(d) Terms. – Except for the persons elected by the Committee, all 39
appointing authorities shall make appointments to the Committee by October 1, 2025, and the 40
terms of all members shall commence on October 1, 2025. The election of members shall be 41
conducted during the initial organizational meeting of the Committee, with the terms of the 42
elected members deemed to begin on October 1, 2025. 43
SECTION 2.(e) Organization/Administration. – The President Pro Tempore of the 44
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each designate a cochair from 45
among the voting members of the Committee. The cochair appointed by the President Pro 46
Tempore of the Senate shall preside over the Committee during the odd-numbered year, and the 47
cochair appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall preside in the 48
even-numbered year. A cochair may preside at any time during the absence of the presiding 49
cochair or upon the presiding cochair's designation. The Committee shall meet upon the call of 50
its cochairs. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 746-First Edition Page 3
All voting members shall be appointed for a term of two years. Voting members may 1
be reappointed to successive terms. A vacancy on the Committee shall be filled by the original 2
appointing authority using the criteria for the prior appointment. Any appointment to fill a 3
vacancy on the Committee created by the resignation, dismissal, death, disability, or 4
disqualification of a member shall be for the balance of the unexpired term. 5
The Governor may remove any member of the Committee for misfeasance, 6
malfeasance, or nonfeasance, pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 143B-13. 7
Members of the Committee shall receive per diem and necessary travel and 8
subsistence expenses in accordance with G.S. 120-3.1, 138-5, and 138-6, as applicable. The 9
Committee may meet in the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. A majority 10
of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. 11
The Legislative Services Officer shall assign professional and clerical staff and 12
provide other necessary resources to assist the Committee in its work. 13
SECTION 2.(e1) The Committee shall provide opportunities for public input and 14
engagement through public hearings, listening sessions, or written submissions. 15
SECTION 2.(f) Reporting. – The Committee shall submit its initial written report to 16
the Governor and to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations prior to the 17
convening of the 2027 General Assembly, and thereafter it shall report biennially. The report 18
shall contain a detailed summary of conclusions and recommendations for each issue reviewed 19
under this act. Any advice recommending a change to a policy, rule, or law shall be accompanied 20
by a specific policy or legislative proposal and the estimated cost of implementing the change. 21
SECTION 3. Effective Date. – This act is effective when it becomes law. 22