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HB 656 North Carolina House · 2025-2026 Session

Split District Court/Defender District 43 into 43A/43B.

HB 656 splits North Carolina's District Court District 43 into two new districts (43A and 43B) and similarly divides Defender District 43 into 43A and 43B. District 43A covers Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties (with 7 judges), while 43B covers only Haywood and Jackson counties (with 4 judges). The bill appropriates funds for new judicial and public defender staff, including one district court judge, a chief public defender, and three assistant public defenders for District 43B, effective July 2026 for funding and January 2027 for the court structure. This procedural bill directly affects counties in western North Carolina by creating more localized court and public defender services.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly appropriates funds for new judicial/public defender staff, directly advancing budget allocation for essential services per subjects APPROPRIATIONS/BUDGETING.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill appropriates funds for public defender staff (chief, 3 assistants), strengthening defendant representation in criminal cases per public defender focus in subjects.92% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Apr 1, 2025 Last action Apr 2, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Filed → Edition 1 · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill underwent formatting and metadata updates during its legislative review process, including changes to header information, bill numbering, and sponsor references. The core policy content regarding the split of District Court District 43 and Defender District 43 into separate districts (43A and 43B) remains unchanged, with identical judicial staffing, public defender funding, and effective dates preserved in the final version.
TECHNICAL

Header information was updated to reflect the bill's progression from 'Filed' to 'Edition 1', including changes to the bill number format, date, and sponsor reference instructions.

Bill identification numbers were changed from 'DRH40377-NDa-36' to 'H656-v-1' to match the official bill number format.

Sponsor information was updated to direct readers to the North Carolina General Assembly website for a complete list of sponsors, replacing the blank 'Referred to' section.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to table headers and spacing throughout the document to align with standard legislative formatting requirements.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
3
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Apr 2, 2025
Committee
Ref to the Com on Judiciary 1, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Introduced
Filed
lower
0 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.