AN ACT awarding a legislative salary increase for juvenile justice staff and appropriatiNG funds for that purpose.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Safety, Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the sum of ten million four hundred thousand dollars ($10,400,000) in recurring funds for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year and the sum of fourteen million one hundred thousand dollars ($14,100,000) in recurring funds for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year to be allocated for employee salary increases as awarded by Section 2 of this act.

SECTION 1.(b)  Of the funds appropriated in subsection (a) of this section, the sum of three million nine hundred thousand dollars ($3,900,000) shall be allocated to reduce salary compression in connection with these increases.

SECTION 2.(a)  Effective for the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium, the following annual salary schedules shall be in effect for Youth Counselor Technicians, Youth Services Behavioral Specialists, and Youth Counselors in the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention:

Fiscal Year 2025‑26

Years of Experience  Youth                                     Youth Services                       Youth

Counselor                               Behavioral                              Counselors     Technicians                                    Specialists

0                                  $40,908                                   $42,254                                   $45,910

1                                  $43,771                                   $45,211                                   $48,354

2                                  $46,398                                   $47,972                                   $51,256

3                                  $48,718                                   $50,320                                   $53,818

4                                  $50,665                                   $52,333                                   $55,971

5                                  $52,186                                   $53,902                                   $57,650

6+                                $53,230                                   $54,981                                   $58,803

Fiscal Year 2026‑27

Years of Experience  Youth                                     Youth Services                       Youth

Counselor                               Behavioral                              Counselors

Technicians                            Specialists

0                                  $42,953                                   $44,367                                   $48,206

1                                  $45,960                                   $47,472                                   $50,772

2                                  $48,718                                   $50,371                                   $53,819

3                                  $51,154                                   $52,836                                   $56,509

4                                  $53,198                                   $54,950                                   $58,770

5                                  $54,795                                   $56,597                                   $60,533

6+                                $55,892                                   $57,730                                   $61,743

SECTION 2.(b)  Effective for the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium, the following annual salary schedules shall be in effect for Juvenile Court Counselors in the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention:

Years of                      Juvenile                      Juvenile

Experience                 Court                          Court

Counselors                 Counselors

FY 2025‑26                 FY 2026‑27

0                                  $49,391                       $51,861

1                                  $52,601                       $55,231

2                                  $56,021                       $58,822

3                                  $59,662                       $62,645

4                                  $63,541                       $66,718

5                                  $67,670                       $71,054

6+                                $72,070                       $75,674

SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.