GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 325
Short Title: Legislative Building Field Trip Pilot Program. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives R. Pierce, Johnson-Hostler, Baker, and F. Jackson (Primary
Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
March 10, 2025
*H325 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDEN TS TO 2
ATTEND A FIELD TRIP TO THE LEGISLATIVE BUILDING. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Program; Purpose. – There is established the Legislative Building Field 5
Trip Pilot Program (Program) for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. The purpose of the 6
Program is to encourage civic engagement and study by assisting public school units in 7
conducting one field trip per school year to tour the Legislative Building. 8
SECTION 2. Application. – No later than August 1 of each year that funds are made 9
available for the Program, the Department of Public Instruction shall develop and publish criteria 10
and guidelines for the application process for the Program in the upcoming school year. 11
Applications shall include, at a minimum, a proposed budget for the field trip for each school in 12
the public school unit. All public school units are eligible to apply. The Department shall accept 13
applications until October 1 of each year of the Program. 14
SECTION 3. Selection. – No later than November 1 of each year of the Program, 15
the Department shall select applicants for the Program. The Department shall prioritize selection 16
of public school units that are located in a county designated as a tier 1 pursuant to 17
G.S. 143B-437.08. 18
SECTION 4. Award; Use of Funds. – Each selected public school unit shall receive 19
an award of up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) per school in the public school unit, but the 20
amount received shall not be greater than the amount estimated to be needed per school in the 21
proposed budget submitted with the application. Funds may be used for transportation expenses 22
to and from the Legislative Building. Travel expenses include only bus rental, fuel, or 23
compensation for drivers. 24
SECTION 5. Report. – No later than February 15 of each year of the Program, the 25
Department of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight 26
Committee at least the following information: 27
(1) The public school units that received a grant. 28
(2) A description of how the grants were used. 29
(3) An estimate of the number of students that toured the Legislative Building 30
through the Program. 31
(4) The number of applications for the Program that were received but not 32
awarded a grant and the total amount needed to fund those applications. 33 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 325-First Edition
SECTION 6. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 1
Public Instruction the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) in 2
nonrecurring funds in each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to fund the Legislative 3
Building Field Trip Pilot Program as established by this act. 4
SECTION 7. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 5