NC H78

Repeals Session Laws 2016-99 and 2016-3 (House Bill 2), removing restrictions on bathroom and facility access based on biological sex.

Expands protected classes in housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, insurance, and education to include sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, military/veteran status, and genetic information alongside existing protections.

Establishes the Equal Access to Public Accommodations Act allowing access to bathrooms and changing facilities based on gender identity while permitting separate facilities by gender.

Creates enforcement mechanisms through the North Carolina Human Relations Commission for discrimination complaints in housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, and education with amicable resolution procedures.

Increases criminal penalties by 36-84 months imprisonment for sexual assault offenses committed in changing facilities designated for the opposite sex, and elevates sexual battery in such facilities from misdemeanor to Class I felony, effective December 1, 2017.