House Bill 901 - Summary

• Allows courts to refer factual innocence claims directly to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission as a form of relief when granting motions for appropriate relief.

• Modifies Commission membership requirements to remove the requirement that the sheriff member hold office at time of appointment, allowing former sheriffs to serve.

• Establishes procedures for case status updates: courts and counsel may request confidential updates no more than once every six months, and the Director must provide complete summaries including witness interviews and forensic testing results.

• Requires pre-hearing conferences at least 10 days before Commission proceedings where district attorneys and defense counsel can inspect evidence and submit written statements; raises the conviction threshold for guilty plea cases from all eight to six Commission members for judicial referral.

• Appropriates $25,000 in nonrecurring funds annually for fiscal years 2021-2023 to prepare and deliver case status updates.