House Bill 738, Recodification of Criminal Laws, forms a bipartisan legislative working group to study, document, and make recommendations on North Carolina’s criminal laws to reduce overcriminalization across state statute, local ordinances, and administrative codes. Civitas Action believes the vote for freedom is a vote YES on HB738.
Laws with criminal punishments are necessary to maintain law and order. However, overcriminalization makes it hard for average North Carolinians to know the bounds of the law. Criminal laws are spread across different layers of government – not just the criminal statutes, but throughout state statute, local ordinances, and administrative codes. This creates unnecessary confusion and is a threat to individual liberty.
North Carolina’s criminal laws are in desperate need of clarity and reform. As the primary lawmaking body of the state, the General Assembly is best positioned to study and then amend the criminal laws in the state. The working group established in this bill is a great first step to this process.
For that reason, Civitas Action believes the vote to defend freedom is a vote YES on HB738.
Civitas Action will grade the Second Reading floor vote on this legislation in the House or Senate.
Civitas Action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit that educates and informs North Carolinians on policy issues and the actions of their elected officials.