{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-126-85","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 126-85","heading":"Protection from retaliation.","body":"(a)\tNo head of any State department, agency, or institution or other State employee exercising supervisory authority shall discharge, threaten, or otherwise discriminate against a State employee regarding the State employee's compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment because the State employee, or a person acting on behalf of the employee, reports or is about to report, verbally or in writing, any activity described in G.S. 126-84, unless the State employee knows or has reason to believe that the report is inaccurate.\n(a1)\tNo State employee shall retaliate against another State employee because the employee, or a person acting on behalf of the employee, reports or is about to report, verbally or in writing, any activity described in G.S. 126-84.\n(b)\tNo head of any State department, agency, or institution or other State employee exercising supervisory authority shall discharge, threaten, or otherwise discriminate against a State employee regarding the employee's compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment because the State employee has refused to carry out a directive that in fact constitutes a violation of State or federal law, rule, or regulation or poses a substantial and specific danger to the public health and safety.\n(b1)\tNo State employee shall retaliate against another State employee because the employee has refused to carry out a directive that may constitute a violation of State or federal law, rule, or regulation or poses a substantial and specific danger to the public health and safety.\n(c)\tThe protections of this Article include State employees who report any activity described in G.S. 126-84 to the State Auditor as authorized by G.S. 147-64.6B, to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations as authorized by G.S. 120-75.1, or to a legislative committee as required by G.S. 120-19. (1989, c. 236, s. 1; 1997-520, s. 6; 2008-196, s. 2(b); 2008-215, s. 8; 2019-80, s. 2; 2021-180, s. 27.2(e); 2022-6, s. 15.1(b); 2025-25, s. 14(b).)","path":["Chapter 126. North Carolina Human Resources Act.","Article 14. Protection for Reporting Improper Government Activities."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_126/GS_126-85.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T18:19:57Z","sha256":"c08b0b561ead16c09fa4a8dd2cd17b831a70d273bf62afe525472114b6cba920","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-126-84","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-126-86"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}