North Carolina General Statutes 120-132. Testimony by legislative employees
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, no present or former legislative employee may disclose any information that the individual, while employed or retained by the State, may have acquired:
(1) In a standing, select, or conference committee or subcommittee of either house of the General Assembly or a legislative commission;
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 120-132
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Conference committee: A temporary, ad hoc panel composed of conferees from both chamber of a legislature which is formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers. Conference committees are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major and controversial legislation.
- Legislative commission: means any commission or committee which the Legislative Services Commission is directed or authorized to staff by law or resolution and which it does, in fact, staff. See North Carolina General Statutes 120-129
- Legislative employee: means employees and officers of the General Assembly, consultants and counsel to members and committees of either house of the General Assembly or of legislative commissions who are paid by State funds, students at an accredited law school while in an externship program at the General Assembly approved by the Legislative Services Commission, and employees of the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; but does not mean legislators and members of the Council of State. See North Carolina General Statutes 120-129
- Legislator: means a member-elect, member-designate, or member of the North Carolina Senate or House of Representatives. See North Carolina General Statutes 120-129
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
(2) On the floor of either house of the General Assembly, in any office of a legislator, or at any other location of the State legislative buildings and grounds as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 120-32.1(d);
(3) As a result of communications that are confidential under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 120-130 and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 120-131
(b) A present or former legislative employee may disclose information acquired under subsection (a) of this section that would be reflected in the official public record or was otherwise publicly disseminated.
(c) Subject to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 120-9, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 120-133, and the common law of legislative privilege and legislative immunity, the presiding judge may compel disclosure of information acquired under subsection (a) of this section if in the judge’s opinion, the disclosure is necessary to a proper administration of justice. (1983, c. 900, s. 1; 1983 (Reg. Sess., 1984), c. 1038, s. 5; 2010-169, s. 24(b).)