Bill
HB 1080
The bill injects substantial recurring funding to hire, retain, and compensate public safety staff across courts, corrections, law enforcement, juvenile justice, transit safety, an
Purpose and intent
- The bill aims to address longstanding underfunding and staffing shortages in key public safety and related state systems. It proposes targeted funding to hire or retain staff, increase salaries, and modernize safety and operational infrastructure across courts, corrections, law enforcement, juvenile justice, public transit safety, and state forensic labs.
- The overarching goal is to restore capacity, improve safety outcomes, reduce caseloads, and stabilize frontline operations statewide.
Key provisions and changes
1) Public Transit Safety Modernization
- Emergency trauma kits on public transit: Requires all state-funded transit operators to equip every revenue service vehicle (buses, trains, etc.) with an emergency trauma response kit containing tourniquets, hemostatic dressings, pressure bandages, trauma shears, PPE, and other DHHS-recommended items.
- First aid training: Operators and supervisory staff must complete emergency first aid and bleeding control training within six months of hire, refreshed every two years.
- Anti-fare-dording measures: Mandates fare enforcement improvements, including turnstiles or entry gates where feasible, electronic fare validation, in-person inspection, randomized verifications, and other board-approved enforcement tech.
- Funding: $10 million (nonrecurring) in FY 2026-27 from the General Fund to the Department of Transportation to implement these provisions, distributed via existing funding formulas.
- Reporting: Annual reporting beginning Dec 1, 2026 to oversight committees; statewide summary report due Dec 1, 2027 detailing expenditures and compliance.
- Effective date: Section 1 becomes effective July 1, 2026.
2) Court System Staffing for Wake and Mecklenburg Counties
- Assistant and deputy clerks: $30 million (recurring) starting FY 2026-27 to hire clerical staff in Wake and Mecklenburg Counties; AOC to allocate positions and report rationale within 60 days of allocation.
- Assistant district attorneys: $30 million (recurring) starting FY 2026-27 for Wake/Mecklenburg County DA positions; allocation and rationale report due within 60 days.
- Evaluation of impact: DHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services to coordinate with AOC on cost-savings, caseload reductions, incarceration reductions, and recidivism impacts, with updates due July 1, 2027 and every December 1 thereafter.
3) Department of Adult Correction Funding and Safety
- Salary and safety investments: $250 million (recurring) starting FY 2026-27 to increase salaries to market levels and improve workplace safety; AOC-like reporting requirements apply to positions, amounts, and rationales within 60 days of allocation.
4) State Highway Patrol Compensation
- Pay raises: Funded at $40,482,480 annually through the 2025-27 biennium to establish revised pay scales.
- New salary schedule (effective July 1, 2025): Explicit experience-based grades from 0 to 8+ years, with top end around $105,000 for 8+ years; sworn officers not on the schedule receive rank-based pay scales (Sergeant to Colonel) ranging up to about $224,612 for Colonel.
5) Juvenile Justice Program Support and Staffing
- JJDP funding: $25 million (recurring) starting FY 2026-27 to address staffing shortfalls in juvenile facilities, juvenile court services, and related recruitment/retention, with compensation adjustments and temporary staffing measures as needed.
- Accountability: JJDP must report by March 1, 2027, and annually thereafter on vacancies, turnover, time-to-hire, overtime, and outcomes.
6) State Crime Laboratory Workforce Competitiveness
- Forensic workforce: $4 million (recurring) starting FY 2026-27 to recruit/retain personnel, with salary adjustments and incentives as needed; annual reporting on vacancies, turnover, time-to-hire, and case turnaround times required.
7) Enhanced Benefits for Correctional Officers in the TERS
- Retirement/system changes: Makes enhancements to benefits for correctional officers who are members of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TERS), including special separation allowance provisions and related definitions.
- Implementation: Sec. 7 provides funding ($11 million recurring) via the State Treasurer for enhanced benefits, effective July 1, 2026, with detailed eligibility and calculation options.
Effective date
- General provisions largely become law upon enactment, with specific sections taking effect July 1, 2025 (highway patrol pay) and July 1, 2026 (several new benefits, transit and court/juvenile provisions).
Impact overview
- Aims to reduce backlogs in courts, stabilize juvenile and adult corrections staffing, and improve safety infrastructure across state transit and law enforcement.
- Introduces substantial recurring funding for salaries and staffing, plus targeted capital and training investments.
- Creates required reporting to legislative oversight bodies to monitor implementation, effectiveness, and cost-savings.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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