AN ACT to provide for the pre‑licensing and continuing education of bail bondsmen and runners.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 58‑71‑71 reads as rewritten:
"§ 58‑71‑71.  Examination; educational requirements; penalties.
(a)	In order to be eligible to take the examination required to be licensed as a runner or bail bondsman under G.S. 58‑71‑70, each person shall complete at least 12 hours of education as provided by the North Carolina Bail Agents Association in subjects pertinent to the duties and responsibilities of a runner or bail bondsman, including all laws and regulations related to being a runner or bail bondsman.
(b)	Each year every licensee shall complete at least three hours of continuing education as provided by the North Carolina Bail Agents Association in subjects related to the duties and responsibilities of a runner or bail bondsman before renewal of the license. This continuing education shall not include a written or oral examination. A person who receives his first license on or after January 1 of any year does not have to comply with this subsection until the period between his first and second license renewals.
(c)	Any person licensed as a runner or bail bondsman before January 1, 1994, is not subject to the prelicensing education requirement of this section, but is subject to the continuing education requirement of this section. A licensed runner or bail bondsman who is 65 years of age or older and who has been licensed as a runner or bail bondsman for 15 years or more is exempt from both the prelicensing education and continuing education requirements of this section.
(d)	Educational courses offered by the North Carolina Bail Agents Association under this section must be approved by the Commissioner before they may be offered. Before approving a course, the Commissioner must be satisfied that the course will enhance the professional competence and professional responsibility of bail bondsmen and runners. The North Carolina Bail Agents Association shall not offer, sponsor, or conduct any course under this section unless the Commissioner has given authorization to do so.
(e)	The license of any person who fails to comply with the continuing education requirements under this section shall lapse. The Commissioner may, for good cause shown, grant extensions of time to licensees to comply with these requirements. Any licensee who, after obtaining an extension under this subsection, offers evidence satisfactory to the Commissioner that the licensee has satisfactorily completed the required continuing professional education courses is in compliance with this section.
(f)	The Commissioner may adopt rules for the effective administration of this section."

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2012.   
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 29th day of June, 2012.

	s/	 Neal Hunt
	 Presiding Officer of the Senate

	s/	 Paul Stam
	 Presiding Officer of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 Governor

Approved 4:55 p.m. this 12th day of July, 2012