Stein signs anti-gang bill. Budget and crypto ATM crackdown await action
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- Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill allowing state employees up to 12 weeks paid parental leave.
- Stein also signed “Jaleeyah’s Law,” which updates gang definitions and stiffens penalties.
- HB920 is pending action from Stein. It caps crypto kiosk service fees at 12% and more.
Good morning, and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, a politics reporter at The News & Observer.
There’s been a lot of news lately, and by now you’ve probably heard: North Carolina has a budget. But the spending plan, drafted by the GOP-led legislature and passed with bipartisan support, is not yet law.
Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, still has to decide what to do with it. He can sign it, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. Stein is expected to announce his decision Tuesday during a ceremony at the Executive Mansion, where he is scheduled to “take action” on the state budget, according to a news release.
On Monday, however, Stein signed several other bills into law at the Executive Mansion. One expands paid parental leave, allowing state employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave. Read Ronni Butts’ story here.
Crypto bill pending action
Another bill passed by lawmakers last week, but that is pending action from Stein, would regulate cryptocurrency kiosks, often called crypto ATMs. The machines, which are not regulated in the state, allow users to convert cash into digital currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. They have drawn increasing scrutiny, as they expand nationwide, over their role in fraud and scams.
According to the FBI, more than 13,400 cryptocurrency kiosk-related complaints were reported nationwide in 2025, totaling $388 million in losses. Many of the scams target adults 50 and older, leaving them without life savings.
House Bill 920, the Virtual Currency Kiosk Consumer Protection Act, would require kiosk operators to provide fraud warnings before customers complete transactions, and would set new transaction limits. New customers who report fraud within 30 days could receive a full refund, and existing customers would be eligible for a refund of fees but not the transaction amount. The bill would also cap service fees at 12% of a transaction’s value. North Carolina currently does not limit the fees crypto ATM operators can charge, which range from about 20% to 30%.
While there’s been bipartisan support and consensus around regulating these kiosks, the 12% cap has been a point of contention.
Several Democrats have said it does not go far enough. That’s included Rep. Tim Longest of Raleigh, who pushed last month to lower the cap to 3%. He said that cap still permits a “reasonable profit,” without allowing companies to take a large chunk of each transaction.
“In crafting regulations, I think it’s important that we ensure that consumers are adequately protected by those regulations, and I do not believe that under the language of the bill currently before you, those regulations are sufficient to protect consumers,” he said.
The amendment ultimately failed. Rep. Neal Jackson, a Robbins Republican and one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said that lower cap would “put the industry out of business.”
On the other hand, Byte Federal executives — CEO Paul Tarantino and Chief Financial Officer Mark Paolillo — say the 12% cap would force Byte to exit the North Carolina market.
Byte has one of the largest Bitcoin and cryptocurrency ATM networks in the United States.
“We have very high costs,” Tarantino said. “We have to build the machine, pay rent for its location, work with (security companies) Garda and Loomis for secure cash pickups, and cover the cost of moving bitcoin across the blockchain. At best, we break even. More than likely, we lose money.”
Tarantino also objected to the bill’s refund provisions, arguing it’s akin to allowing people to return stolen merchandise at stores like Lowes.
Byte Federal already has several fraud prevention protocols in place that “the top two or three players in our industry are not doing,” said Tarantino. Those include ID and selfie verification, kiosk warnings, a check of the destination wallet against known scam addresses, and phone calls for anyone 60 or older.
“At 12% we’re removing our entire network from that state, and everybody who is unbanked or underbanked or underprivileged are yet again blocked out of the ability to invest in an asset that can better themselves,” Paolillo said.
Anti-gang bill signed into law
Esther Frances has the details on another bill signed into law by Stein on Monday.
That’s an anti-gang bill named for a Goldsboro teen who was killed last year.
House Bill 1173 would update several definitions of criminal gang-related terms and require stricter punishments for related crimes, such as providing guns to minors and soliciting minors to participate in criminal gang activity.
The bill, known as Jaleeyah’s Law, is named for Jaleeyah “Lee Lee” Tune, who was walking home with family and was “shot and killed by a random act of gang violence,” Stein said at the bill signing.
“A heinous thing to happen to a young girl, and an earth-shattering loss that continues to haunt their family and will for the rest of their lives,” he said. “As a community, it’s our job to wrap our arms around the family and let them know that they’re supported, and as leaders, it’s on us to take action to do everything we can to keep other families from experiencing the same pain that they did.”
Three teenagers were arrested and charged in connection to her death, ABC11 reported.
Stein said the bill gives North Carolina the tools to address root causes of gang activity and “crack down” on that activity to protect innocents.
In June, the bill first passed the House, then the Senate. It was then sent back to the House to agree to changes, which lawmakers voted to do last week.
Critics say the bill’s broadened definitions risk lumping those associated with gangs, but who have not committed any crime, into the criminal category. They say the changes could stifle freedom of expression, and would be an expensive investment in methods that look to further incarcerate people rather than prevent gun violence.
Rep. John Bell, a Goldsboro Republican and a primary sponsor of the bill, said on Monday that he spoke with Jaleeyah’s mother, Whitney Brown-Tune, and asked her if she wanted to “figure out some tweaks, or do you want to go big and make sure that Jaleeyah’s name will never be forgotten and always remembered?”
“Whitney said, ‘Let’s go big,’” Bell said. “Well, Whitney, it don’t get much bigger than this stage right here.”
Bell said the law will give prosecutors and law enforcement the necessary tools to go after “those perpetrators.” He said “an innocent little girl is not with us today because of the senseless act of violence,” and that he is proud of Brown-Tune’s advocacy.
Brown-Tune asked attendees to remember Jaleeyah’s name.
“She was only 13, and I have to live with that pain every day,” she said. “I cry daily because I miss my daughter.”
Brown-Tune said parents need to be more accountable for what their children are doing, particularly on social media.
That’s all for now
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