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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina bill proposes constitutional amendment requiring legislative approval for gubernatorial clemency
Last action · February 6, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Mark Brody and 8 others
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What This Bill Would Do
House Bill 64 proposes a constitutional amendment to require concurrence by a majority of both houses of the General Assembly for the Governor to grant reprieves, , and pardons. The measure will be placed on the ballot for voter approval at the statewide general election on November 3, 2026.
Alters the balance of power in the executive process by introducing a legislative voting requirement and a mandatory legislative reconvening rule when clemency is granted during legislative recesses.
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.
Governor of North Carolina
Must secure majority approval from both houses of the General Assembly to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons.
General Assembly of North Carolina
Must vote by yeas and nays to concur with or reject gubernatorial grants of clemency.
North Carolina qualified voters
Will vote on whether to approve the constitutional amendment at the November 3, 2026 general election.
Key Facts
- Requires concurrence by a majority of the members of each house of the General Assembly for the Governor to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons.
- Mandates that votes on clemency in both houses be determined by yeas and nays with names entered on the journal.
- Requires the Governor to reconvene the General Assembly if clemency is granted when the legislature has adjourned sine die or for more than 30 days, failing which the grant is void.
- Clarifies that the terms reprieves, commutations, and pardons do not include paroles.
Show all 6 facts
- Submits the constitutional amendment to qualified voters at the statewide general election on November 3, 2026.
- Specifies that if a majority of votes are in favor, the Secretary of State shall enroll the amendment upon certification by the State Board of Elections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes does House Bill 64 make to the Governor's clemency powers?
When will voters decide on this constitutional amendment?
Does this bill affect paroles?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Feb 6, 2025HouseRef To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Feb 6, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Feb 5, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift in Executive Clemency Authority
The measure shifts authority over reprieves, commutations, and pardons from an exclusively executive power to a joint executive-legislative process requiring majority concurrence from both houses of the General Assembly.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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