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HB 307NORTH CAROLINASession 2025State Billpassed both
Passed

North Carolina Revises Criminal Law: Adds Xylazine and Kratom to Controlled Substances, Establishes Child Exposure Offenses, and Mandates District Court Recordation

Original title: Iryna's Law.

Last action · October 3, 2025: Ch. SL 2025-93Sponsors: Stevens and 3 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

North Carolina enacts comprehensive criminal law revisions that schedule xylazine and kratom as controlled substances, establish new felony offenses for exposing children to controlled substances, and mandate electronic or stenographic recording of all district court criminal proceedings starting December 1, 2025.

Why it matters

The measure alters criminal sentencing tiers, shifts evidence and discovery rules for autopsy files and district court records, and grants district attorneys explicit standing in state appellate proceedings.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Noncapital defendants

Must file postconviction motions for appropriate relief within 120 days of appellate events unless district attorney consent is granted.

Directly affected

Minors under 16 years of age

Protected by new criminal penalties imposed on individuals who knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally expose them to controlled substances.

Directly affected

District attorneys

Granted explicit standing to appear and be heard in state appeals and given continuing disclosure rights regarding medical examiner files.

Directly affected

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Subject to strict statutory limits and continuing disclosure obligations regarding the release of autopsy reports and investigation files.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the time limits for noncapital defendants filing motions for appropriate relief?
Noncapital defendants may file a postconviction within 120 days from the latest of specified appellate events, unless the district attorney for the prosecutorial district consents to the filing at any time.
When do xylazine and kratom become controlled substances under this act?
The provisions adding xylazine to Schedule III and kratom to Schedule VI become effective December 1, 2025, and June 1, 2026, respectively, and apply to offenses committed on or after those dates.
Who is granted standing in criminal and juvenile appeals?
The district attorney of the prosecutorial district where the case was tried has explicit standing to appear and be heard in criminal and juvenile appeals, while the duty to represent the State remains with the Attorney General.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.

Procedural history

43 actions
  1. Sep 23, 2025House
    Ordered Enrolled
  2. Sep 23, 2025House
    Concurred In S Com Sub
  3. Sep 22, 2025House
    Placed On Cal For 09/23/2025
  4. Sep 22, 2025House
    Cal Pursuant 36(b)
  5. Sep 22, 2025House
    Special Message Received For Concurrence in S Com Sub
  6. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Special Message Sent To House
Show 37 earlier actions
  1. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Engrossed
  2. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Passed 3rd Reading
  3. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Passed 2nd Reading
  4. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Tabled A11
  5. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Tabled A10
  6. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Tabled A9
  7. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Tabled A8
  8. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Failed A6
  9. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Adopted A7
  10. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Failed A4
  11. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Adopted A5
  12. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Failed A2
  13. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Adopted A3
  14. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Amend Adopted A1
  15. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Placed on Today's Calendar
  16. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Reptd Fav
  17. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Re-ref Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
  18. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Com Substitute Adopted
  19. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Reptd Fav Com Substitute
  20. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Re-ref Com On Appropriations/Base Budget
  21. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Reptd Fav Com Sub with Unengrossed Amend
  22. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Re-ref to Judiciary. If fav, re-ref to Appropriations/Base Budget. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate
  23. Sep 22, 2025Senate
    Withdrawn From Com
  24. May 1, 2025Senate
    Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
  25. May 1, 2025Senate
    Passed 1st Reading
  26. May 1, 2025Senate
    Regular Message Received From House
  27. May 1, 2025House
    Regular Message Sent To Senate
  28. Apr 30, 2025House
    Passed 3rd Reading
  29. Apr 30, 2025House
    Passed 2nd Reading
  30. Apr 29, 2025House
    Placed On Cal For 04/30/2025
  31. Apr 29, 2025House
    Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
  32. Apr 29, 2025House
    Reptd Fav
  33. Apr 15, 2025House
    Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  34. Apr 15, 2025House
    Reptd Fav Com Substitute
  35. Mar 6, 2025House
    Ref to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  36. Mar 6, 2025House
    Passed 1st Reading
  37. Mar 5, 2025HouseIntroduced
    Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

StevensHousePrimary sponsorNo profile match
William BrissonHouse · District 22RepublicanCosponsor
Bill WardHouse · District 5RepublicanCosponsor
Donna WhiteHouse · District 26RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

2 patterns noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Expansion of Controlled Substance Schedules

The bill updates Schedule III and Schedule VI to incorporate emerging substances of concern such as xylazine and kratom.

XylazineKratom
policy shift99% confidence

Mandatory District Court Recordation

Shifts district court record-keeping from limited recording of specific pleas to mandatory recording of all criminal proceedings.

Administrative Office of the Courts

Connected Entities

Administrative Office of the Courts, Bill Ward, William Brisson and 4 more
OrganizationAdministrative Office of the Courts“Maintains court records and retention schedules”Map →
PersonBill Ward“Cosponsor of House Bill 307”Map →
PersonWilliam Brisson“Cosponsor of House Bill 307”Map →
OrganizationOffice of the Chief Medical Examiner“Compiles autopsy information and investigation files”Map →
PersonDonna White“Cosponsor of House Bill 307”Map →
PersonStevens“Primary sponsor of House Bill 307”Map →
OrganizationOffice of the Appellate Defender“Receives confidential records upon appointment of counsel”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.ncleg.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy45
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz60
    Current news / social attention level

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