§ 166A-19.2.  Limitations.

(a) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to do any of the following:

(1) Interfere with dissemination of news or comment on public affairs; but any communications facility or organization, including, but not limited to, radio and television stations, wire services, and newspapers may be requested to transmit or print public service messages furnishing information or instructions in connection with an emergency, disaster, or war.

(2) Limit, modify, or abridge the authority of the Governor to declare martial law or exercise any other powers vested in the Governor under the North Carolina Constitution, statutes, or common law of this State independent of, or in conjunction with, any provisions of this Article.

(b) No religious institution shall be subject to an executive order, secretarial declaration, municipal or local government prohibition or restriction, or a rule or regulation by a political subdivision of this State that distinguishes between religious institutions and other public or private for-profit or nonprofit entities that are subject to or affected by the same or similar emergency in a way that imposes additional limitations on the religious institution. For the purposes of this subsection, the term "religious institution" has the same meaning as in G.S. 131F-2.  (1975, c. 734, s. 2; 1977, c. 848, s. 2; 1995, c. 509, s. 122; 2012-12, s. 1(b); 2024-16, s. 3(a).)