North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 12 R · 12 D cosponsors

SB 797 — Hands Free NC.

Last action — Passed 1st Reading

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

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 21, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 24 sponsors

    2 primary, 22 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (12 R · 12 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

12 added · 13 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest version of Senate Bill 797, some wording has been clarified regarding what constitutes operating a motor vehicle in negligence cases. Specifically, references to "driving or the presence of a supervising driver" have been standardized. This change is important because it aims to make the bill more precise and easier to understand, which can help in legal situations when determining responsibility in accidents.

→
Previous
Latest
FILED SENATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA Apr 21, 2026 S.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 S 1 SENATE BILL 797 Short Title:
797 SESSION 2025 PRINCIPAL CLERK S D SENATE BILL DRS35350-NEa-129 Short Title:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT MAKING IT UNLAWFUL TO USE A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A PUBLIC STREET, HIGHWAY, OR PUBLIC VEHICULAR AREA.
Rules and Operations of the Senate April 22, 2026 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT MAKING IT UNLAWFUL TO USE A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A PUBLIC STREET, HIGHWAY, OR PUBLIC VEHICULAR AREA.
*DRS35350-NEa-129* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (1) With a wireless communication device in the person's hand.
*S797-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (1) With a wireless communication device in the person's hand.
(3) A person who violates this section and has previously been found responsible for two or more violations of this section that occurred within the 36-month period prior to the date of the current violation is guilty of an infraction, Page 2 DRS35350-NEa-129 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 punishable by a fine of two hundred dollars ($200.00) and insurance points as authorized by G.S.
(3) A person who violates this section and has previously been found responsible for two or more violations of this section that occurred within the 36-month period prior to the date of the current violation is guilty of an infraction, Page 2 Senate Bill 797-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 punishable by a fine of two hundred dollars ($200.00) and insurance points as authorized by G.S.
DRS35350-NEa-129 Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 "(l) Violations.
Senate Bill 797-First Edition Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 "(l) Violations.
Failure to comply with a restriction concerning the time of driving orthepresenceof asupervising driverin thevehicle constitutesoperating amotorvehicle without a license.
Failure to comply with a restriction concerning the time of drivingor thepresenceof asupervisingdriverin thevehicle constitutesoperating amotorvehicle without a license.
Failure to comply with the provisions of subsections (e) and (g) of this section shall not constitute negligence per se or contributory negligence by the driver or passenger in any action for the recovery of damages arising out of the operation, ownership or maintenance of a motor vehicle.
Failure to comply with the provisions of subsections (e) and (g) of this section shall not constitute negligence per se or contributory negligence bythe driver or passenger in anyaction for the recovery of damages arising out of the operation, ownership or maintenance of a motor vehicle.
Page 4 DRS35350-NEa-129
Page 4 Senate Bill 797-First Edition
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Passed 1st Reading

  2. Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  3. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

2 sponsors · 22 co-sponsors · 155 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (22)

Not signed on (155)

155 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 155 →

"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

public-safety transportation technology
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 SB 797?
SB 797 is sponsored by Joyce Waddell (Democratic), Caleb Theodros (Democratic), Vickie Sawyer (Republican), Norman W. Sanderson (Republican), Gladys A. Robinson (Democratic), Paul Newton (Republican), Mujtaba A. Mohammed (Democratic), Timothy D. Moffitt (Republican), Chris Measmer (Republican), Tom McInnis (Republican), Julie Mayfield (Democratic), Michael A. Lazzara (Republican), Lisa Grafstein (Democratic), Jonah Garson (Democratic), Dana Jones (Republican), Michael Garrett (Democratic), Bob Brinson (Republican), Woodson Bradley (Democratic), Val Applewhite (Democratic), Gale Adcock (Democratic), Jay J. Chaudhuri (Democratic), Kevin Corbin (Republican), Jim Burgin (Republican), and Todd Johnson (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 797?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 21, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 797?
Track SB 797 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 797

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 797

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →