---
type: "Bill"
title: "Broaden Coverage/Fire and Rescue Pension."
description: "Broaden Coverage/Fire and Rescue Pension."
jurisdiction: "us/states/nc"
legislature: "North Carolina General Assembly"
session: "2003"
identifier: "HB 543"
citation: "North Carolina HB 543 (2003)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["ACTUARIAL NOTES", "EMERGENCY SERVICES", "FIREFIGHTING", "FUNDS & ACCOUNTS", "LOCAL GOVERNMENT", "PERSONNEL", "PRESENTED", "PUBLIC", "RATIFIED", "RESCUE SQUADS", "RETIREMENT", "SALARIES & BENEFITS", "CHAPTERED", "REP. MCGEE"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 6
action_count: 17
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2003-03-17"
last_action: "2003-08-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e541b911-2837-4f04-8059-65e680340c52"
source_url: "http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2003&BillID=H543&votesToView=all"
source_hash: "6411af8c26230a0aa22c01e6273eaaaa4f960bca6d2983880fa1c2fb020a98b1"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-nc"]
---

# North Carolina HB 543 (2003) — Broaden Coverage/Fire and Rescue Pension.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Filed** (filed) — [source](http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H543v0.pdf)
2. **Edition 1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H543v1.pdf)
3. **Edition 2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H543v2.pdf)
4. **Edition 3** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H543v3.pdf)
5. **Ratified** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H543v4.pdf)
6. **SL 2003-362** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H543v5.pdf)

## Votes

- Second Reading — **45–0** (pass) · upper
- Second Reading — **110–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Cole — cosponsor (person)
- Frye — cosponsor (person)
- Gulley — cosponsor (person)
- Justice — cosponsor (person)
- K. Williams — cosponsor (person)
- LaRoque — cosponsor (person)
- McGee — cosponsor (person)
- McHenry — cosponsor (person)
- Moore — cosponsor (person)
- Pate — cosponsor (person)
- Sauls — cosponsor (person)
- Wainwright — cosponsor (person)
- Walker — cosponsor (person)
- Womble — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2003-08-01** Ch. SL 2003-362 `became-law`
- **2003-08-01** Signed By Gov. 8/1/2003 `executive-signature`
- **2003-07-19** Pres. To Gov. 7/18/2003 `executive-receipt`
- **2003-07-17** Ratified
- **2003-07-16** Passed 2nd & 3rd Reading `passage, reading-2, reading-3`
- **2003-07-16** Placed On Cal For 7/16/2003
- **2003-07-16** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2003-07-14** Ref To Com On Pensions & Retirement and Aging `referral-committee`
- **2003-07-14** Rec From House
- **2003-07-14** Passed 2nd & 3rd Reading `passage, reading-2, reading-3`
- **2003-07-10** Placed On Cal For 7/14/2003
- **2003-07-10** Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
- **2003-07-10** Reptd Fav `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2003-04-02** Re-ref Com On Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2003-04-02** Reptd Fav Com Substitute `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2003-03-18** Ref To Com On Pensions and Retirement `referral-committee`
- **2003-03-17** Filed `introduction`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e541b911-2837-4f04-8059-65e680340c52`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official North Carolina legislature records).