The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina creates confidential workplace harassment reporting and training process for General Assembly
Last action · March 25, 2025: Ref to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Allison Dahle and 24 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina House Bill 493 establishes a confidential reporting and investigation process for sexual harassment and improper workplace behavior within the General Assembly, effective July 1, 2025. The measure requires zero-tolerance policies, mandatory annual ethics training, and clear sanctions for all legislators, officers, employees, and volunteers. It also appropriates $250,000 annually for the 2025-2027 fiscal years to fund training materials and contractual investigative services.
Legislative employees, lawmakers, and contractors gain a formalized, confidential grievance process and mandatory training protections, while taxpayers provide $250,000 per year from the General Fund to support the administrative infrastructure and independent third-party investigators.
- The North Carolina General Assembly operates under joint rules established by both chambers to govern legislative proceedings and administrative services. context
- The Legislative Services Commission oversees administrative operations, staffing, and services for the North Carolina General Assembly. context
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.
Legislators and Legislative Staff
Must complete mandatory annual ethics training and are subject to new zero-tolerance standards, formal reporting procedures, and defined disciplinary sanctions.
Legislative Services Commission
Tasked with jointly developing workplace policies, contracting an independent third party, and managing appropriated funds.
General Public / Taxpayers
Provide $250,000 annually from the General Fund to finance the training program and administrative infrastructure.
Key Facts
- The Act applies to legislators, all legislative employees (full-time, part-time, temporary, contractual), unpaid volunteers, pages, and interactions at legislature-sponsored events or business activities.
- By December 31, 2025, the Legislative Services Commission and Legislative Ethics Committee must jointly adopt zero-tolerance policies incorporated into chamber permanent rules.
- All legislators, officers, and employees must complete mandatory annual ethics training focused on preventing sexual harassment and discrimination.
- Individuals reporting misconduct may speak with the Human Resources Office, an independent third party, or leadership-designated personnel for informal resolution.
Show all 9 facts
- Unresolved complaints are referred to an independent third party for confidential investigation, with breaches of confidentiality treated as misconduct.
- Disciplinary actions for non-legislators range from warnings and reprimands to suspension without pay or termination, while legislators face actions including expulsion under the North Carolina Constitution.
- Parties dissatisfied with a resolution may appeal to the appropriate Presiding Officer within 10 days, with a decision required within 45 days.
- The legislation appropriates $250,000 from the General Fund to the General Assembly's Legislative Services Commission for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 fiscal years.
- Out of the appropriated funds, $50,000 is designated for training literature and materials, and $200,000 is designated for contractual investigative services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is covered by the Safe Workplace Act?
How are complaints of workplace harassment handled?
What happens if someone retaliates against a person reporting harassment?
How much funding is allocated to implement these policies?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
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- Mar 25, 2025HouseRef to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Mar 25, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Mar 24, 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
Show 20 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Formalization of Legislative Workplace Rules
The bill shifts informal workplace conduct guidelines into strict statutory requirements incorporated into chamber permanent rules with formal investigative steps.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools