Help us pass Second Chance legislation before it’s too late!

Crossover Deadline is coming! Thursday May 8, 2025, is the date by which most bills must pass through their original chambers, either the House or the Senate, and be introduced in the other chamber. A bill crossing over would make it viable for the remainder of the 2025-2026 legislative session. House Bill 682 Public Safety Through Food Access Act, is one of the bills that we are advocating for. It must successfully pass through the House and be introduced in the Senate on or before Thursday to still be considered this session.

Take action to contact your law maker and encourage them to help this bill survive cross over.

The Fair Chance team supports policies that make the criminal legal system fairer from arrest to reentry. Fair chance policies should remove barriers to opportunities and improve access to transportation, food, housing, and employment for people who have encountered the criminal legal system. Below, we have provided a list of bills that would do just that.

Increase Access to Food Benefits

Tell your lawmaker to expand food access in North Carolina

There are tens of thousands of people in North Carolina who are disqualified from TANF and SNAP benefits because of a felony drug conviction. Under NC law, people with Class H and I drug felonies are barred access to the benefits for a minimum of six months and must meet special requirements including drug treatment. People convicted of a Class G or higher drug felony are banned from the benefits for life.

House Bill 682 Public Safety Through Food Access Act

This bill would end the lifetime and 6-month bans on SNAP or TANF assistance for people with felony drug convictions. Individuals would be immediately eligible for food and cash assistance as long as they have completed the required drug treatment program.

Senate Bill 564 Public Safety Through Food Access Act

House Bill 733 Everyone Eats Act

This bill would end the lifetime and 6-month bans on SNAP or TANF assistance for people with felony drug convictions.

End Debt-Based Driver’s License Suspensions

Sign our petition to end debt-based driver’s license suspensions!

There are approximately 1 million North Carolinians with suspended driver’s licenses because of unpaid traffic tickets or missed court dates. Not having a driver’s license can create barriers to opportunity by making it hard to get and keep a meaningful job or affordable housing.

House Bill 980 Removing Barriers to Employment from Court Debt

This bill would end suspensions for unpaid traffic-related fines and fees and failure to appear. The bill would immediately reinstate licenses that are suspended solely for failure to appear or failure to pay. The bill will also allocate funds to the court to create a text service that would remind motorists about their court dates.

Tell your lawmaker to end the barriers of court debt in North Carolina!

Senate Bill 694 Removing Barriers to Employment from Court Debt

This bipartisan bill would limit driver’s license suspensions to 3 years for unpaid traffic-related fines and fees. The bill would immediately reinstate licenses that are suspended solely for failure to appear or failure to pay. This bill will also effectively end permanent suspensions for driving while license revoked not-impaired convictions that occurred before 2015.

Regulate Distribution, Use, Removal, and Destruction of Mugshots

Mugshots can cause people to face severe barriers to reentry and opportunity by harming a person’s ability to find employment, housing, or navigate everyday social situations.

House Bill 446 Prohibition on Disclosing Booking Photographs

This bill will prevent law enforcement agencies from openly disseminating booking information to third-party companies. The bill allows law enforcement agencies to post booking information on their websites and apps. The bill sets penalties for third-party booking companies that do not remove and destroy booking information after receiving notice that the underlying charge was dismissed, ended in a not guilty verdict, or was expunged.

Senate Bill 129 Booking Photograph Privacy Act

This bipartisan bill will clarify that booking photographs are not public records to be openly published, distributed, or released to the public. The bill allows for booking photos to be published for criminal investigations related to a missing person or when the court finds it is necessary to fulfill immediate law enforcement needs.

Reduce Harms of Criminal Court Costs

Criminal legal debt, including fees, fines, and restitution, can be a major barrier to the successful reentry of people with a criminal record.

Senate Bill 529 Second Chance Success Act

This bill will eliminate post-supervision fees and prevent unpaid probation fees from being grounds to extend someone’s probation.

Senate Bill 334 Repeal the NC Drug Tax

This bill will repeal the NC Unauthorized Substance Tax, also known as the NC Drug Tax.

Tell your lawmaker to repeal the NC Drug Tax

House Bill 722 Enact Criminal Justice Debt Reform

This bill is a fines and fees bill that would address several issues. It will do many things, including end debt-based driver’s license suspensions, make the community service fee waivable, and repeal the $25 installment fee.