Rep. Reives files bill in North Carolina House to regulate booking photo disclosures

A new bill filed by State Rep. Robert T. Reives, II seeks to regulate how booking photographs are disclosed and removed by law enforcement and related entities, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 446 on March 18 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Prohibition on Disclosing Booking Photographs.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill regulates the dissemination and removal of booking photographs by prohibiting law enforcement from knowingly disclosing such images to publish-for-pay publications or websites. It requires these entities to remove and destroy the booking photos within seven business days if there is no associated criminal conviction and the individual provides documentation of a dismissal, acquittal, expunction, or a grand jury’s decision not to indict. Failure to comply can result in civil liability, with a penalty of at least $100 per day for continued visibility of the image beyond the deadline. The bill becomes effective Dec. 1, 2025, affecting disclosures and removal requests made on or after this date.

Of the three sponsors of this bill, Reives proposed the most bills (15) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Reives graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1992 with a BA and again in 1995 from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a JD.

Reives, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2014 to represent the state’s 54th House district, replacing previous state representative Deb McManus.