How HB 705 changes current law

Compared against the N.C. General Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes a minimum wage of $15 per hour for first responders, overriding the general minimum wage provisions for those employees.

• G.S. 95-25.3

  (a1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section to the contrary, every employer of employees who are first responders shall pay to each first responder who in any workweek performs any work wages of at least fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour or the minimum wage set forth in paragraph 1 of section 6(a) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1), as that wage may change from time to time, whichever is higher. The term 'first responder,' as used in this subsection, means a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, or an emergency medical technician or paramedic. The term does not include a volunteer firefighter.

  This adds a new subsection that mandates a higher minimum wage specifically for first responders, thereby creating a separate minimum wage standard for them.