Senate Bill 640 Summary

• Requires occupational licensing board members to receive training within six months of appointment and at least once every two years on state and federal laws including the Administrative Procedure Act, public records law, open meetings law, ethics law, lobbying, and antitrust law.

• Establishes new procedures for occupational licensing boards including rules for complaint resolution, authority to investigate unlicensed activity, venue for court enforcement actions, and a standardized complaint process with electronic submission capability.

• Modernizes the Alarm Systems Licensing Act by renaming it the Security Systems Licensing Act, updating licensing requirements for security system businesses, increasing liability insurance requirements to $250,000 (single person) and $500,000 (multiple persons), and expanding the definition of security systems to include cameras and imaging devices.

• Modifies North Carolina's property tax law by extending the property listing period from January 31 to April 15, adding a new classification for "qualified business property," and allowing electronic personal property listing with extended deadlines up to June 1.

• Increases the minimum training requirement for massage and bodywork therapy licensure from 500 to 650 in-class hours of supervised instruction, effective July 1, 2024.