North Carolina General Statutes 120-37. Elected officers; salaries; staff
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 120-37
- Adjournment sine die: The end of a legislative session "without day." These adjournments are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session of legislature.
- Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
- President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
- Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
(a) At the convening of the first session of the General Assembly following each biennial election of members of the General Assembly, each house shall elect a principal clerk for a term of two years, subject to the condition that each officer shall serve at the pleasure of the house that elected him or her and until his or her successor is elected. The reading clerk and sergeant-at-arms of the Senate shall serve for terms of two years, subject to the condition that each serves at the pleasure of the Senate and until the officer’s successor is elected. The reading clerk and sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives shall serve as provided in the rules of the House.
(b) The sergeant at arms and the reading clerk in each house shall be paid a salary of four hundred ninety-three dollars ($493.00) per week plus subsistence at the same daily rate provided for members of the General Assembly, plus mileage at the rate provided for members of the General Assembly for one round trip only from their homes to Raleigh and return. The sergeants at arms shall serve during sessions of the General Assembly and at such time prior to the convening of, and subsequent to adjournment or recess of, sessions as may be authorized by the Legislative Services Commission. The reading clerks shall serve during sessions only.
(c) The principal clerks shall be full-time officers. Each principal clerk shall be entitled to other benefits available to permanent legislative employees and shall be paid an annual salary of one hundred twenty-five thousand thirty-four dollars ($125,034), payable monthly. Each principal clerk shall also receive such additional compensation as approved by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, respectively, for additional employment duties beyond those provided by the rules of their House. The Legislative Services Commission shall review the salary of the principal clerks prior to submission of the proposed operating budget of the General Assembly to the Governor and shall make appropriate recommendations for changes in those salaries. Any changes enacted by the General Assembly shall be by amendment to this paragraph.
(d) The Legislative Services Commission may authorize additional full-time staff employees of the office of each principal clerk. The Speaker may assign to the Principal Clerk of the House additional duties for the periods between sessions and during recesses of the General Assembly. The President pro tempore of the Senate may assign to the Principal Clerk of the Senate additional duties for the periods between sessions and during recesses of the General Assembly.
(e) The principal clerks and the sergeants-at-arms may, upon authorization of the Legislative Services Commission, employ temporary assistants to prepare for each legislative session, serve during the session, and perform necessary duties following adjournment.
(f) Following adjournment sine die of each session of the General Assembly, each principal clerk shall retain in the clerk’s office for a period of two years every bill and resolution considered by but not enacted or adopted by the clerk’s house, together with the calendar books and other records deemed worthy of retention. At the end of two years, these materials shall be turned over to the Office of Archives and History of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for ultimate retention or disposition. (1969, c. 1184, s. 7; 1977, 2nd Sess., c. 1278; 1979, c. 838, s. 82; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1137, s. 8; 1981, c. 1127, s. 9; 1983, c. 761, s. 197; 1983 (Reg. Sess., 1984), c. 1034, s. 208; c. 1116, s. 110; 1985, c. 479, ss. 205, 207; c. 757, s. 189; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 1014, ss. 30, 31; 1987, c. 738, ss. 16, 17; 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 1086, ss. 10, 11; c. 1100, s. 16(c); 1989, c. 752, ss. 27, 28; 1991, c. 756, s. 34; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 900, ss. 36, 37; 1993, c. 321, ss. 53, 54; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 769, ss. 7.6, 7.7; 1995, c. 507, ss. 7.9, 7.10; 1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 18, ss. 28.7, 28.8; 1997-443, ss. 33.13, 33.14; 1998-153, ss. 10, 11; 1998-212, s. 28.7(a); 1999-237, ss. 28.7, 28.8; 2000-67, ss. 26.7, 26.8; 2001-424, ss. 32.8, 32.9; 2002-159, s. 35(f); 2004-124, ss. 31.8(b), 31.9(b); 2005-276, ss. 29.8, 29.9, 19B.1; 2005-345, s. 40; 2006-66, ss. 22.8, 22.9; 2006-203, s. 61; 2007-323, ss. 28.8, 28.9; 2008-107, ss. 26.8, 26.9; 2012-142, s. 25.1B(b), (c); 2014-100, s. 35.4(b), (c); 2015-241, s. 14.30(s); 2016-94, ss. 36.8, 36.9; 2017-57, ss. 35.6, 35.7; 2018-5, ss. 35.9, 35.10; 2019-177, s. 6; 2019-209, ss. 3.9(a), (a1), 3.10(a), (a1); 2021-180, ss. 39.10(a), (b), 39.11(a), (b); 2022-74, ss. 39.10, 39.11.)