NC H836

Modifies Certificate of Relief eligibility by requiring 12 months to have passed since completion of sentence, including all active time, probation, post-release supervision, and parole, effective October 1, 2023.

Appropriates $1,000,000 in recurring annual funds for 2023-2025 biennium to the Department of Adult Correction to create and support five new Local Reentry Councils.

Establishes Basic Needs Fund to provide monthly stipends up to $3,000 total to indigent individuals released from incarceration for housing, food, clothing, and transportation for up to six months, with $1,000,000 in recurring annual funds appropriated for 2023-2025 biennium, effective July 1, 2023.

Requires State agency licensing boards to report annually on applicants with conviction records, including how many qualified applicants with nonviolent convictions were denied licensure, with the Department of Commerce to compile and report findings by April 1, 2024.

Prohibits licensing boards from automatically denying licenses based on criminal history or nonviolent crimes, requires boards to provide applicants with criminal history records and five business days' notice before conducting checks, and gives applicants 30 days to respond to potential denial issues with evidence of rehabilitation.