120-32.1. Use and maintenance of buildings and grounds.

(a) The Legislative Services Commission shall:

(1) Establish policy for the use of the State legislative buildings and grounds.

(2) Maintain and care for the State legislative buildings and grounds, but the Commission may delegate the actual work of the maintenance of those buildings and grounds to the Department of Administration, which shall perform the work as delegated.

(3) Provide security for the State legislative buildings and grounds.

(4) Allocate space within the State legislative buildings and grounds.

(5) Have the exclusive authority to assign parking space in the State legislative buildings and grounds and any spaces provided in Lot 7 of the State Government Parking Complex in accordance with G.S. 143-340(18a).

(b) The Legislative Services Officer shall have posted the rules adopted by the Legislative Services Commission under the authority of this section in a conspicuous place in the State Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. The Legislative Services Officer shall have filed a copy of the rules, certified by the chairman of the Legislative Services Commission, in the office of the Secretary of State and in the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Wake County. When so posted and filed, these rules shall constitute notice to all persons of the existence and text of the rules. Any person, whether on his own behalf or for another, or acting as an agent or representative of any person, firm, corporation, partnership or association, who knowingly violates any of the rules adopted, posted and filed under the authority of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person, firm, corporation, partnership or association who combines, confederates, conspires, aids, abets, solicits, urges, instigates, counsels, advises, encourages or procures another or others to knowingly violate any of the rules adopted, posted and filed under the authority of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may waive in writing the application of any rule adopted by the Legislative Services Commission to either or both of the House and Senate Sergeants-at-Arms of the General Assembly, and such a jointly-executed waiver shall be a defense against any prosecution for violation of such rule. Such a waiver shall extend no longer than the expiration of their then current term of office. A copy of such waiver shall be delivered to the Chief of the General Assembly Special Police.

(c) The Legislative Services Commission may cause to be removed at the owner's expense any vehicle parked in the State legislative buildings and grounds in violation of the rules of the Legislative Services Commission and may cause to be removed any vehicle parked in any State-owned parking space leased to an employee of the General Assembly where the vehicle is parked without the consent of the employee to whom the space is leased.

(c1) No rule adopted under this section shall prohibit the transportation or storage of a firearm in a closed compartment or container within a person's locked vehicle or in a locked container securely affixed to a person's vehicle. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a legislator or legislative employee who parks a vehicle in a State-owned parking space that is leased or assigned to that legislator or legislative employee may transport a firearm to the parking space and store that firearm in the vehicle parked in the parking space, provided that: (i) the firearm is in a closed compartment or container within the legislator's or legislative employee's locked vehicle, or (ii) the firearm is in a locked container securely affixed to the legislator or legislative employee's vehicle.

(d) For the purposes of this section, the term "State legislative buildings and grounds" means:

(1) The State Legislative Building.

(1a) The areas between the outer walls of the State Legislative Building and the far curbline of those sections of Jones, Wilmington, Salisbury, and Lane Streets that border the land on which it is situated.

(1b) The Legislative Office Building, which shall include the following areas:

a. The garden area and outer stairway.

b. The loading dock area bounded by the wall on the east abutting the Halifax Street Mall, the southern edge of the southernmost exit lane on Salisbury Street for the parking deck, and the Salisbury Street sidewalk.

c. The area between its outer wall and the near curbline of that section of Lane Street that borders the land on which it is situated.

d. The area bounded by its western outer wall, the extension of a line along its northern outer wall to the middle of Salisbury Street, following the middle line of Salisbury Street to the nearest point of the intersection of Lane and Salisbury Streets, and thence east to the near curbline of the Legislative Office Building at its southwestern corner.

(1c) Any State-owned parking lot which is leased to the General Assembly.

(1d) The bridge between the State Legislative Building and the Halifax Street Mall.

(1e) A portion of the brick sidewalk surface area of the Halifax Street Mall, described as follows: beginning at the northeast corner of the Legislative Office Building, thence east across the brick sidewalk to the inner edge of the sidewalk adjacent to the grassy area of the Mall, thence south along the inner edge of the sidewalk to the southwest outer corner of the grassy area of the Mall, thence east along the inner edge of the sidewalk adjacent to the southern outer edge of the grassy area of the Mall to a point north of the northeast corner of the pedestrian surface of the Lane Street pedestrian bridge, thence south from that point to the northeast corner of the pedestrian surface of the bridge, thence west along the southern edge of the brick sidewalk area of the Mall to the southeast corner of the Legislative Office Building, thence north along the east wall of the Legislative Office Building, to the point of beginning.

(1f) From the center of Lane Street to the far curbline on the south side of the street; between the western edge of the Lane Street driveway to the gardens behind the State Records Center, and Wilmington Street.

(2) Repealed by Session Laws 1998-156, s. 1, effective September 24, 1998.

(3) The parking spaces in the upper level of State Parking Deck 65 located under the Halifax Street Mall.