North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee 12 R cosponsors

HB 86 — Citizens' Expungement Clarification of 2025.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 12 sponsors

    3 primary, 9 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (12 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

12 added · 10 removed

Plain-language change summary

The updated version of HB 86 has added more sponsors, expanding the collaboration on the bill from one representative to four, which indicates increased support and attention to the issue of expungements. Additionally, the bill's reference number has changed, reflecting its new status. These changes matter because they suggest a stronger legislative backing for the proposed expungement clarifications, potentially improving the bill’s chances of passing and having a positive impact on citizens seeking to clear their records.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA H.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 H 1 HOUSE BILL 86 Short Title:
86 Feb 10, 2025 SESSION 2025 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK H D HOUSE BILL DRH40067-ML-24 Short Title:Citizens' Expungement Clarification of 2025.
Citizens' Expungement Clarification of 2025.
Representative Hastings.
Representatives Hastings, Biggs, Torbett, and Loftis (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO PROHIBIT A PERSON WHO IS NOT A LEGAL RESIDENT OR CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES OR ITS TERRITORIES FROM OBTAINING AN EXPUNCTION OF CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS OR CHARGES FROM THE PERSON'S RECORD.
Judiciary 2, if favorable, Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House February 11, 2025 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO PROHIBIT A PERSON WHO IS NOT A LEGAL RESIDENT OR CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES OR ITS TERRITORIES FROM OBTAINING AN EXPUNCTION OF CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS OR CHARGES FROM THE PERSON'S RECORD.
Article 5 of Chapter 15A of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
Article 5 of Chapter 15A of the General Statutes is amended byadding a new section to read:
*DRH40067-ML-24*
*H86-v-1*
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How this bill changes current law

4 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill establishes a prohibition on expunction of criminal records for individuals who are not legal residents or citizens of the United States.

  • § 15A-154

    A person who is not a legal resident or citizen of the United States or its territories is ineligible to obtain an expunction under this Article.

    This new provision prohibits non-residents or non-citizens from expunging their criminal records.

  • § 15A-154

    In addition to all other applicable requirements set forth in this Article, and no earlier than 30 days prior to the date the court may enter an order of expunction, the court shall attempt to determine if a petitioner is a legal resident or citizen of the United States or its territories by an inquiry of the petitioner or by an examination of any relevant documents.

    This change requires courts to verify the legal residency or citizenship status of petitioners before considering expunction.

  • § 15A-154

    If the court is unable to determine if the petitioner is a legal resident or citizen of the United States or its territories, the court shall make a query of Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

    This provision mandates courts to consult immigration authorities if they cannot ascertain a petitioner's status.

  • § 15A-154

    The prohibition set forth in subsection (a) of this section does not apply to a person who lawfully entered the United States and has filed an immigrant petition, or for whom an immigrant petition has been filed, with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.

    This exception allows lawful entrants with pending immigrant petitions to be eligible for expunction.

Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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3 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 167 not signed on

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (9)

Not signed on (167)

167 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 167 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

immigration civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 86?
HB 86 is sponsored by Bill Ward (Republican), A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr. (Republican), Howard Penny, Jr. (Republican), Jeffrey C. McNeely (Republican), Blair Eddins (Republican), Ted Davis, Jr. (Republican), Celeste C. Cairns (Republican), Donnie Loftis (Republican), John A. Torbett (Republican), Brian Biggs (Republican), Kelly E. Hastings (Republican), and Mike Clampitt (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 86?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 86?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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