House Bill 216 creates a new funding mechanism for continuous alcohol monitoring (CAM) in North Carolina. The bill establishes a Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Fund within the Division of Community Supervision and Reentry of the Department of Adult Correction and directs that the fund be used to help cover CAM costs for defendants whom the court determines are unable to pay. If a court orders CAM as part of a sentence and finds the person cannot afford it, the Division may pay the monitoring costs from the fund for the period ordered by the court.
To finance the fund, the bill adds a five-cent charge on each bottle of spirituous liquor sold at the uniform State price and directs local alcohol boards to remit those proceeds monthly to the Division. The bill also updates related statutes governing alcohol pricing, local board distributions, and sentencing provisions so that courts can order the state to pay CAM costs in qualifying cases. The changes apply beginning July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill amends G.S. 18B-804 and G.S. 18B-805 to impose and distribute a new five-cent-per-bottle liquor charge, and it amends G.S. 15A-1343.3 and G.S. 20-179 to authorize state-funded CAM in cases where a defendant cannot pay. It creates a dedicated Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Fund in the Department of Adult Correction and ties the fund to alcohol sales revenue, with an instruction that funds be used, to the extent practicable, in the county where the charge was collected. The practical effect is to shift some CAM costs from indigent defendants and local governments to a statewide, liquor-funded pool.
Sentiment
The bill’s stated purpose suggests a supportive approach to making continuous alcohol monitoring more accessible and sustainable as a sentencing option. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided material, there is no direct evidence of debate, amendment activity, or partisan division. On its face, the bill appears designed to address affordability concerns while preserving CAM as a sentencing tool.
Contention
The main policy tension in the bill is how to pay for continuous alcohol monitoring when a court orders it for an indigent defendant. The bill resolves that issue by creating a state fund supported by an added liquor charge, which may raise questions about using alcohol sales revenue to finance criminal justice supervision and about the burden of the new charge on liquor purchasers and local alcohol distribution systems. Another possible point of contention is the allocation of funds by county, since the bill says funds should be used in the county where collected to the extent practicable, which could create administrative or equity concerns.