AN ACT to provide that the salaries of members of the general assembly shall be held in escrow if the general assembly has not passed a budget for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year by june 30, 2026.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Holding Salaries in Escrow. – If, by midnight of June 30, 2026, the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the North Carolina General Assembly have not ratified a Current Operations Appropriations Act for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year, the Legislative Services Officer shall direct the General Assembly Controller to deposit in an escrow account all compensation and allowances earned by or accruing to each member of the General Assembly on or after July 1, 2026.

SECTION 2.  Release of Funds. – The Controller shall release the funds held in escrow pursuant to Section 1 of this act upon the earlier of the following events:

(1)        The presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the North Carolina General Assembly ratify a Current Operations Appropriations Act for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year.

(2)        Adjournment sine die of the 2025 North Carolina General Assembly.

SECTION 3.  Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to the General Assembly the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year for costs associated with implementing the provisions of this act.

SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.