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Bill Summary · HB 794

Summary — HB 794 (North Carolina)

Title: Study Highway Patrol Staffing/Salary Scale
Introduced: 2025 session (filed April 7, 2025 / read April 8, 2025)
Status: Passed 1st Reading (referred to appropriate committees)

Main purpose

HB 794 directs the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (SHP) to conduct a focused study and prepare legislative recommendations on the Patrol’s staffing needs and compensation structure. The bill does not itself change pay or staffing; it requires a data-driven report to the General Assembly to inform any future policy or budget decisions.

Key provisions

  • Directs the State Highway Patrol to study and develop legislative recommendations addressing:
    1. The overall staffing size of the Patrol based on statewide needs.
    2. Troop-level staffing size tailored to regional needs.
    3. The Patrol’s overall salary scale.
    4. The salary scale for each rank within the Patrol.
  • Reporting requirement: SHP must submit its findings and legislative recommendations to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, the House Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety, and the Senate Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety.
  • Deadline: Report due no later than March 1, 2026.
  • Effective date: The act is effective upon becoming law.

Who is affected

  • Primary: North Carolina State Highway Patrol leadership and personnel (troopers, supervisors, and command staff) — the study will evaluate their staffing levels and compensation.
  • Secondary: General Assembly committees responsible for justice/public safety and appropriations (who will receive the report and may act on recommendations); state budget and human resources divisions if recommendations require funding or classification changes; the public (through potential future changes affecting highway patrol presence, response times, recruitment, and retention).

Likely impacts and next steps

  • Immediate: Creation of an internal or collaborative SHP study analyzing workforce needs and pay structure; no immediate changes to salaries or staffing.
  • Potential downstream effects: The report could lead to legislative proposals or budget requests to adjust trooper counts, reallocate troops geographically, or revise pay scales/rank differentials — all of which could have fiscal implications for the State and affect recruitment/retention.
  • Fiscal note: The bill itself is a study mandate and does not include appropriations; any costs for implementing recommended changes would be considered in later legislation or the budget process.

Procedural notes

  • The study is time-limited by the March 1, 2026 reporting deadline. Committees receiving the report will determine whether to pursue follow‑up bills or budget changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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