AN ACT requiring a study program to expand the address confidentiality program to include certain military and special operations personnel AND allowing certain military and special operations personnel to be issued a substitute drivers license or special identification card.

Whereas, the Department of Defense personnel assigned to or supporting United States Special Operations Command organizations in North Carolina, including military members, civilian employees, and their dependents, perform among the most critical, most effective, and most dangerous operations in defense of our nation's freedom; and

Whereas, the General Assembly is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of Department of Defense personnel assigned to or supporting United States Special Operations Command organizations in North Carolina; and

Whereas, the General Assembly recognizes that allowing continued public access to the personal identifying information, including location information, of Department of Defense personnel assigned to or supporting United States Special Operations Command organizations in North Carolina jeopardizes the safety of these personnel and their families; and

Whereas, the General Assembly seeks ways in which to protect the personal identifying information of Department of Defense personnel assigned to or supporting United States Special Operations Command organizations in North Carolina that is particularly susceptible to doxing or swatting from appearing on public‑facing websites across State and local agencies, whether by removing or shielding the personal identifying information; and

Whereas, the General Assembly is committed to exempting from the public records of this State the personal identifying information of Department of Defense personnel assigned to or supporting United States Special Operations Command organizations in North Carolina so as to protect the safety of those personnel and their family; Now, therefore

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  The Department of Justice, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Division of Motor Vehicles, the State Board of Elections, and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall convene a Task Force to explore how to protect military personnel, special operations forces, elected officials, and others particularly susceptible to doxing or swatting. The Task Force may consult with the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, or their designee, The University of North Carolina System, the Register of Deeds Association, the Real Estate Commission, the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, and any other affected group or groups in conducting this study.

SECTION 1.(b)  As part of the study, the Task Force shall consider the following items:

(1)        Which individuals are particularly susceptible to doxing or swatting, including military personnel, special operations personnel, elected officials, and others.

(2)        What personal identifying information is susceptible to doxing or swatting.

(3)        Options to prevent harm, harassment, and abuse of individuals particularly susceptible to doxing or swatting.

(4)        How to develop and implement a uniform protocol across State and local agencies for susceptible individuals to access protection of personal identifying information, whether by removal or shielding or other method.

(5)        How to implement effective security protocols for protecting personal identifying information.

(6)        Which State and local agencies should have access to such personal identifying information, if removed or shielded from the public record.

(7)        How to provide law enforcement, emergency services, and other vital government services to participants in any removal or shielding program while maintaining all security protocols.

(8)        The feasibility of, and barriers to, expanding the Address Confidentiality Program under Chapter 15C of the General Statutes to cover susceptible individuals.

(9)        Whether spouses, dependents, and other family members of susceptible individuals should be covered by any programs protecting susceptible individuals.

(10)      If expansion of the Address Confidentiality Program is not found to be feasible, recommendations for a separate program leveraging the existing Address Confidentiality Program as the model to incorporate all best practices from that program where appropriate.

(11)      Recommendations for standard operating procedures for any protective program, including eligibility verification, recertification of eligibility, command validation for military personnel, and other criteria for reviewing applications for certification of participation in any protective program.

(12)      Recommendations for further study.

(13)      Recommendations for legislative action, including potential enhancement of criminal laws and civil liability, if any.

(14)      Any other information necessary.

SECTION 1.(c)  Not later than April 1, 2027, the Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly. The report, findings and recommendations, records, data, analyses, and materials prepared or collected by the Task Force in connection with the study authorized by this section shall be treated as sensitive public security information under G.S. 132‑1.7 and shall not be a public record.

SECTION 2.(a)  Article 2 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 20‑37.03.  Special forces substitute drivers license.

(a)        Notwithstanding G.S. 20‑7 or any other provision of this Chapter, upon the request of a major military installation as defined by G.S. 143‑151.71 and for use overseas only, the Division shall issue a drivers license or special identification card with a substitute address in lieu of the license holder's residence address for any special operations force member, upon payment of the fee for a duplicate license. The application for a substitute drivers license or special identification card shall be submitted on a form as designated by the Division, which shall include a certification from the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, or the Commander's designee, as to the status of the special operations force member.

(b)        The substitute address under this section shall be the address of the license holder shall be the permanent duty station of the license holder as certified by the license holder's Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, or the Commander's designee. All documents related to the issuance of a substitute drivers license or special identification card under this section shall be treated as sensitive public security information in accordance with G.S. 132‑1.7.

(c)        For purposes of this section, a special operations force member shall be any member, whether active or reserve component forces, of the United States military services, designated by the Secretary of War or Secretary of Defense, and specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations, as certified by the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, or the Commander's designee.

SECTION 2.(b)  G.S. 132‑1.7(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:

(6)      Information containing specific details of personal identifying information of special operations force members as described in G.S. 20‑37.03.

SECTION 3.  Chapter 132 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 132‑1.15.  Personally Identifiable Information of Special Operations Forces Members.

(a)        To the extent the agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions determines it is operationally feasible, the custodian of any public record containing personal identifying information of a special operations force member as described in G.S. 20‑37.03 shall redact or remove that public record from any public‑facing web‑based database or application upon written request of the special operations force member, as certified by the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, or the Commander's designee.

(b)        Any written request submitted under this section shall not be a public record.

SECTION 4.  The Task Force established by Section 2 of this act may create a pilot program for eligible active‑duty Department of Defense certified Special Operations Forces personnel in an effort to evaluate the overall implementation of any program recommended under Section 2 of this act to exempt personal identifying information from the public record.

SECTION 5.  Sections 2 and 3 of this act become effective January 1, 2027. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.