AN ACT to study a cost‑of‑living pay structure for assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  The Administrative Office of the Courts, in consultation with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, shall study each of the following:

(1)        The current pay structure for North Carolina assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders.

(2)        The current pay structure for federal employees, including a base salary and a cost‑of‑living increase based upon the cost‑of‑living of the area where the job is located.

(3)        The manner in which cost‑of‑living increases could be allotted for North Carolina assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders serving in different counties throughout the State.

(4)        The projected costs of adopting a pay structure for North Carolina assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders that would include a cost‑of‑living increase.

(5)        The feasibility, based upon cost projections and any other relevant information, of adopting a pay structure for North Carolina assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders that would include a cost‑of‑living increase.

SECTION 2.  No later than April 1, 2024, the Administrative Office of the Courts, in consultation with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys and the Office of Indigent Defense Services, shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety the results of its study, including any recommendations for proposed legislation regarding the subjects studied pursuant to Section 1 of this act.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.