A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase the punishment for altering, destroying, or removing permanent personal identification marks from personal property and removing, defacing, destroying, altering, or covering over identifying marks on certain machinery, equipment, and apparatuses.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 14‑160.1(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Unless the conduct is covered under some other provision of law providing greater punishment, a violation of any of the provisions of this section shall be (i) a Class 1 misdemeanor if the personal property was valued at less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) at the time of the offense or (ii) a Class H felony if the personal property was valued at one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more at the time of the offense."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 14‑401.4(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	Any person, firm, or corporation who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be guilty of (i) a Class 1 misdemeanor if the farm machinery, farm equipment, or farm apparatus was valued at less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) at the time of the offense or (ii) a Class H felony if the farm machinery, farm equipment, or farm apparatus was valued at one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more at the time of the offense. Any person, firm, or corporation who violates any other part of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor."
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective December 1, 2021, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.