AN ACT to facilitate CIVIC engagement with and transparency of legislative proceedings by equipping additional areas of the general assembly complex with equipment to allow for real‑time and time‑shifted remote viewing.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the General Assembly the nonrecurring sum of ninety‑one thousand dollars ($91,000) and the recurring sum of four thousand dollars ($4,000) for the 2025‑2026 fiscal year for the purpose of obtaining and installing, as soon as practicable, and maintaining equipment in committee meeting rooms and the chamber of the House of Representatives to allow for recordation of and viewing by the public via the internet of committee meetings and chamber proceedings to make possible (i) real‑time access via the internet to the audio and the video of committee meetings and chamber proceedings as provided herein and (ii) archival of and time‑shifted viewing access via the internet to the audio and video of committee meetings and chamber proceedings as provided herein for a period of 10 years. It is the intent of the General Assembly by this act to increase the availability of real‑time access and archiving for time‑shifted viewing of committee meetings and chamber proceedings. The use of equipment and degree of availability funded by the appropriation in this act will be determined with greater specificity by the rules of the House of Representatives adopted for each Regular Session of the General Assembly.

SECTION 2.  Unless otherwise prohibited by State law or applicable rules adopted by one or both chambers of the General Assembly, the presiding chair of a legislative committee may, in the chair's discretion, decide not to make a video recordation of a committee meeting, provided that the chair (i) provides notice of the decision not to record prior to the start of the meeting and (ii) ensures an official audio recording and written minutes are maintained in accordance with applicable public records laws.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.