A new bill filed by State Rep. Carson Smith in the North Carolina House seeks to evaluate the adequacy of pay structures for various legal positions across the state, according to the North Carolina State House.
The bill, filed as HB 953 on April 10 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Study Committee on ADA/APD/PAC Pay.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill establishes a 12-member Study Committee on Assistant District Attorney, Assistant Public Defender, and Private Assigned Counsel Pay Rates in North Carolina, aimed at examining current pay structures and their adequacy. The committee will consist of selected members from the House and Senate, appointees from the Conference of District Attorneys, Indigent Defense Services, and the North Carolina Bar Association. It will evaluate current pay levels across urban, suburban, and rural regions, compare them with other states, and consider factors such as cost of living and amenities that influence lawyers’ career decisions. The committee is tasked with submitting interim and final reports to various legislative bodies by March 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027, respectively. The act becomes effective once it is enacted into law.
Of the three sponsors of this bill, Terry M. Brown Jr. proposed the most bills (33) during the 2025 regular session.
Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
Smith, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2019 to represent the state’s 16th House district, replacing previous state representative Bob Muller.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Smith, Laura Budd, and Terry M. Brown Jr. | HB 953 | 04/10/2025 | Study Committee on ADA/APD/PAC Pay. |
| Carson Smith | HB 897 | 04/10/2025 | DPS Agency Changes.-AB |
| Carson Smith, Charles Smith, Jay Adams, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 901 | 04/10/2025 | Recognize Safety Hold Agreements. |
| Carson Smith, Charles W. Miller, and Maria Cervania | HB 968 | 04/10/2025 | Youth CERT Preparedness K-12 Training. |
| Carson Smith | HB 841 | 04/09/2025 | Shellfish Leasing Study. |
| Carson Smith, Allen Chesser, Mike Schietzelt, and Timothy Reeder, MD | HB 789 | 04/03/2025 | Mitigating Factor/Pretrial Use of IID. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Brenden H. Jones, and Charles W. Miller | HB 695 | 04/02/2025 | Support VIPER/Assist 911 Operations/Dispatch. |
| Carson Smith, Chris Humphrey, Jake Johnson, and Jennifer Balkcom | HB 716 | 04/02/2025 | Bail Bond Omnibus. |
| Carson Smith, Donna McDowell White, and Donny Lambeth | HB 746 | 04/02/2025 | Limited Immunity/Nurses. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Dudley Greene | HB 753 | 04/02/2025 | LEOs Return to Work. |
| Carson Smith, Blair Eddins, Jay Adams, and Keith Kidwell | HB 674 | 04/01/2025 | The Firearms Liberty Act. |
| Carson Smith, Brian Biggs, Dudley Greene, and Neal Jackson | HB 575 | 03/31/2025 | The Hunter Robinson Act. |
| Carson Smith, Celeste C. Cairns, Charles W. Miller, and Steve Tyson | HB 597 | 03/31/2025 | Adopt Osprey as State Raptor. |
| Carson Smith, Dudley Greene, and Ted Davis, Jr. | HB 483 | 03/24/2025 | Juvenile Justice Legislative Proposals. |
| Carson Smith and Diane Wheatley | HB 487 | 03/24/2025 | Shorter Separation for Retired ADAs and APDs. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Jarrod Lowery | HB 505 | 03/24/2025 | Kayla’s Act: Protecting Dom. Violence Victims. |
| Carson Smith and Diane Wheatley | HB 476 | 03/20/2025 | DST Technical Corrections/Admin. Changes 2025.-AB |
| Carson Smith and Diane Wheatley | HB 477 | 03/20/2025 | Retirement Death Benefits Rewrite.-AB |
| Carson Smith | HB 479 | 03/20/2025 | Town of Burgaw Property Transfer. |
| Carson Smith, Edward C. Goodwin, Joseph Pike, and Matthew Winslow | HB 299 | 03/05/2025 | Increase Disabled Veteran Prop Tax Benefit. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Karl E. Gillespie | HB 300 | 03/05/2025 | Vet Care for Retired First Responder Dogs. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Robert T. Reives, II | HB 315 | 03/05/2025 | Gift Card Theft & Unlawful Business Entry. |
| Carson Smith, Brenden H. Jones, Brian Echevarria, and Destin Hall | HB 318 | 03/05/2025 | The Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act. |
| Carson Smith, Jay Adams, Karl E. Gillespie, and Keith Kidwell | HB 234 | 02/26/2025 | Little Federal Model NC Edition. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Carolyn G. Logan, and Laura Budd | HB 199 | 02/25/2025 | Nonconsensual Booting and Towing Reform. |
| Carson Smith | HB 200 | 02/25/2025 | SchCalFlex/Pender/CC. |
| Carson Smith, Bill Ward, Celeste C. Cairns, and Charles W. Miller | HB 206 | 02/25/2025 | Mod. Gun Retrieval – DVOs/Juvenile 911 Calls. |
| Carson Smith, Brenden H. Jones, and Jake Johnson | HB 218 | 02/25/2025 | Emergency Info on DMV Applications. |
| Carson Smith, Grant L. Campbell, MD, Jennifer Balkcom, and Sarah Stevens | HB 164 | 02/21/2025 | Parental Consent to Release Child Autopsies. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Dudley Greene | HB 61 | 02/04/2025 | Assaults on First Responders. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Jennifer Balkcom | HB 42 | 02/03/2025 | Burglary & B&E/Sentence Enhancement. |
| Carson Smith, A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., Charles W. Miller, and Jennifer Balkcom | HB 28 | 01/30/2025 | Gun Violence Prevention Act. |
