The Fair Sentencing Act.

SB 686, "The Fair Sentencing Act," reduces mandatory minimum jail terms for impaired driving offenses in North Carolina. It lowers the minimum imprisonment for Level One offenses from 30 days to as little as 10 days if alcohol monitoring is required, and eliminates mandatory minimums for less severe cases (Level Three and Four). The bill requires courts to impose substance abuse assessments and treatment as a probation condition, and allows defendants to avoid jail time by using continuous alcohol monitoring systems for 90-120 days instead. This directly affects individuals convicted of impaired driving, particularly those facing lower-level charges. The law modifies sentencing guidelines under Chapter 20 of North Carolina's General Statutes.