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HB 16

Used nuclear fuel storage-amendments.

2025 Regular Session

The bill requires the Legislative Services Officer to display the national motto In God We Trust in the NC General Assembly chambers, funded first by private gifts or existing fund

H:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to HR 5-4
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Bill Summary · HB 16

Summary — HB 16: "General Assembly: In God We Trust - Display"

Status: Regular Message Sent to Senate (legislative actions indicate subsequent passage and governor signature on 9/17/2025)
Subject: General Assembly; Legislative Services Officer; Public; State symbols

Purpose / Intent

Require the Legislative Services Officer (LSO) to install and display the national motto "In God We Trust" in the chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly — specifically directly above and behind the dais of the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate — in a manner consistent with the historic/patriotic display that appears above the U.S. House Speaker’s dais.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new subsection to G.S. 120-32.1 directing the Legislative Services Officer to display the national motto "In God We Trust" directly above and behind:
    • the dais of the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
    • the dais of the President of the Senate.
  • Requires the display to be consistent with the historic/patriotic presentation of that motto in the United States House of Representatives chamber.
  • Funding mechanics:
    • The LSO must first use any privately gifted or otherwise provided funds for the installation.
    • To the extent gifts received are deemed unappropriated funds, those funds are appropriated for this purpose.
    • If no gifts are provided within 90 days of the act’s effective date, the LSO may use available state funds to cover implementation costs.
  • Implementation responsibility: the Legislative Services Officer is charged with effectuating the display and covering associated costs according to the funding rules above.

Who is affected

  • Primary: Legislative Services Officer (administrative responsibility for procurement/installation).
  • Secondary: Members of the General Assembly and visitors to the House and Senate chambers (symbolic change to chamber decor).
  • Fiscal impact: expected to be minimal — one-time installation costs that can be covered by private donations or, if none are received within 90 days, by existing LSO/state funds.

Timeline / Effective date

  • The bill text specifies an effective date of July 1, 2025.
  • Legislative action summary in the materials shows the bill progressed through readings and committee and was ultimately signed by the Governor (recorded 9/17/2025). (Note: procedural dates in the provided materials span multiple entries; the implementation funding provision establishes a 90‑day waiting period for private gifts following the act’s effective date before the LSO may use state funds.)

Potential considerations

  • Fiscal: installation costs are likely small and one-time; the bill directs private funding be used first to minimize state expenditure.
  • Legal/constitutional: the requirement to display a religiously phrased national motto in legislative chambers could prompt public or legal commentary regarding the Establishment Clause. The summary does not take a position on that issue.

If you want, I can:
- Extract and present the exact statutory language added to G.S. 120‑32.1; or
- Track current procedural status in the legislature database most recently used by your office.

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

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