Overview

• Lawmakers approved House Bill 307 after final House passage 81–31 following a 28–8 Senate vote, delivering the omnibus package to the governor Tuesday.
• ‘Iryna’s Law’ ends cashless bail for many offenses, narrows magistrates’ and judges’ discretion on release, requires written findings that consider criminal history, and creates a new ‘violent offenses’ category enabling GPS monitoring, house arrest, or secured bonds.
• The bill mandates mental-health evaluations when defendants charged with violent offenses have recent involuntary commitments or when officials find evidence of dangerousness, with commitment proceedings required if examiners recommend it.
• Capital provisions direct the corrections secretary to select an alternative execution method if lethal injection is unavailable or unconstitutional, set firmer timelines for death-penalty appeals, and add an aggravating factor for capital felonies on public transportation.
• Supporters say the changes address failures exposed by the Aug. 22 Charlotte stabbing, while legal experts and local officials warn of overcrowded jails and courts and insufficient funding for clinicians and judges; Stein has until Oct. 3 to act.