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North Carolina House Bill H670

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H670 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 670
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH40382-NG-110
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Workforce Credential Grant Program/CCP. (Public)
8-Sponsors: Representatives Willis, Pickett, Campbell, and Schietzelt (Primary Sponsors).
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Higher Education, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and
11-Operations of the House
12-April 3, 2025
13-*H670 -v-1*
9+Sponsors: Representative Willis.
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH40382 -NG-110*
1413 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1514 AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A CAREER AND COLLEGE PATHWAYS INNOVATION 2
1615 CHALLENGE GRANT PROGRAM. 3
1716 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
1817 SECTION 1. Chapter 115D of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 5
1918 Article to read: 6
2019 "Article 10. 7
2120 "Workforce Grant Programs. 8
2221 "§ 115D-150. Program established. 9
2322 There is established the Career and College Pathways Innovation Challenge Grant Program 10
2423 (Program) to meet statewide educational attainment and workforce development goals by 11
2524 developing local and regional partnerships that foster innovations to accomplish the following: 12
2625 (1) Increase postsecondary enrollment and completion for both students enrolling 13
2726 directly from high school and adults returning to education. 14
2827 (2) Ensure alignment between educational options provided and labor market 15
2928 needs. 16
3029 (3) Eliminate educational opportunity gaps where they exist. 17
3130 "§ 115D-151. Definitions. 18
3231 The following definitions apply in this Article: 19
3332 (1) Approved grant award. – Awards granted to participating community colleges 20
3433 upon approval of a Program application by the State Board. 21
3534 (2) Participating community college. – A community college that submitted an 22
3635 application for the Program that was approved by the State Board. 23
3736 "§ 115D-155. Grant program administration. 24
3837 (a) The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt necessary rules and policies to 25
3938 administer the Program, including for the following purposes: 26
4039 (1) The administration and awarding of grant funds, based on a competitive grant 27
4140 process, to local and regional partnerships that represent cross-sector 28
4241 collaborations among the Department of Public Instruction, the Community 29
4342 Colleges System Office, The University of North Carolina System Office, 30
4443 local governments, community-based organizations, employers, and other 31
4544 local entities. The design of the Program is to be developed in consultation 32
4645 with the following entities: 33
47-a. The Division of Workforce Solutions of the Department of Commerce. 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48-Page 2 House Bill 670-First Edition
49-b. The North Carolina Community Colleges System Office. 1
50-c. The North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. 2
51-d. The University of North Carolina System Office. 3
52-e. The leadership of MyFutureNC. 4
53-(2) The use of funds and reporting of expenditures by participating community 5
54-colleges. In awarding grant funds to participating community colleges, the 6
55-State Board shall consider applications that propose to do the following: 7
56-a. Plan and pilot innovative initiatives to raise educational attainment and 8
57-decrease opportunity gaps. 9
58-b. Engage community-based organizations and resources. 10
59-c. Expand the use of work-based learning. 11
60-d. Provide financial support to cover (i) expenses beyond educational 12
61-tuition and fees and (ii) other services and supports to encourage 13
62-students to enroll and to complete education and training. 14
63-e. Provide local matching funds. 15
64-(3) The monitoring and control of spending grant funds, including support and 16
65-technical assistance to participating community colleges. 17
66-(b) Up to four percent (4%) of the funds appropriated to the Community Colleges System 18
67-Office for implementation of the Program in each fiscal year may be used for administrative 19
68-costs. 20
69-(c) Up to ten percent (10%) of the funds appropriated to the Community Colleges System 21
70-Office for implementation of the Program in each fiscal year may be used for marketing and 22
71-communications, including contracting with non-State entities for marketing and 23
72-communications. 24
73-"§ 115D-160. Grant amounts. 25
74-(a) To the extent funds are made available for the Program, the State Board of 26
75-Community Colleges shall award grants to participating community colleges in an amount up to 27
76-the lesser of (i) the actual cost associated with an application by a community college or (ii) two 28
77-hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). 29
78-(b) In the event that the funds appropriated for the Program are insufficient to award all 30
79-approved grant awards, each award shall be reduced by an equivalent percentage to ensure that 31
80-funding is awarded to all participating community colleges. 32
81-"§ 115D-165. Reporting requirement. 33
82-The State Board, in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, shall analyze data 34
83-pertaining to the Program and shall report annually by July 15 to the Joint Legislative Education 35
84-Oversight Committee on the following information from the prior academic year: 36
85-(1) The total dollar amount of grant funds awarded. 37
86-(2) The total number of participating community colleges. 38
87-(3) The progress of each local and regional partnership that partnered with a 39
88-participating community college, as reflected in high school graduation rates, 40
89-postsecondary enrollment and completion, job growth, and labor market 41
90-alignment, with data being disaggregated by income, race, ethnicity, and other 42
91-demographic characteristics, where available." 43
92-SECTION 2.(a) Notwithstanding G.S. 115D-160, as enacted by this act, for the 44
93-2025-2026 and 2026-2027 fiscal years, the State Board of Community Colleges shall allocate a 45
94-total of two million dollars ($2,000,000) to be directed to participating community colleges in 46
95-the following areas affected by Hurricane Helene: 47
96-(1) Alexander County. 48
97-(2) Alleghany County. 49
98-(3) Ashe County. 50
99-(4) Avery County. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
100-House Bill 670-First Edition Page 3
101-(5) Buncombe County. 1
102-(6) Burke County. 2
103-(7) Cabarrus County. 3
104-(8) Caldwell County. 4
105-(9) Catawba County. 5
106-(10) Cherokee County. 6
107-(11) Clay County. 7
108-(12) Cleveland County. 8
109-(13) Forsyth County. 9
110-(14) Gaston County. 10
111-(15) Graham County. 11
112-(16) Haywood County. 12
113-(17) Henderson County. 13
114-(18) Iredell County. 14
115-(19) Jackson County. 15
116-(20) Lee County. 16
117-(21) Lincoln County. 17
118-(22) Macon County. 18
119-(23) Madison County. 19
120-(24) McDowell County. 20
121-(25) Mecklenburg County. 21
122-(26) Mitchell County. 22
123-(27) Nash County. 23
124-(28) Polk County. 24
125-(29) Rowan County. 25
126-(30) Rutherford County. 26
127-(31) Stanly County. 27
128-(32) Surry County. 28
129-(33) Swain County. 29
130-(34) Transylvania County. 30
131-(35) Union County. 31
132-(36) Watauga County. 32
133-(37) Wilkes County. 33
134-(38) Yadkin County. 34
135-(39) Yancey County. 35
136-(40) The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 36
137-SECTION 2.(b) In the event that the total amount of grant awards for the 2025-2026 37
138-or 2026-2027 fiscal year to participating community colleges in areas listed in subsection (a) of 38
139-this section is less than two million dollars ($2,000,000), the State Board may use those funds to 39
140-award grants to participating community colleges that are not located in those areas. 40
141-SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community 41
142-Colleges System Office the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) in recurring funds for the 42
143-2025-2026 fiscal year to implement the provisions of this act. 43
144-SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 44
46+a. The Division of Workforce Solutions of the Department of Commerce. 34
47+b. The North Carolina Community Colleges System Office. 35
48+c. The North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. 36
49+H.B. 670
50+Apr 1, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH40382-NG-110
53+d. The University of North Carolina System Office. 1
54+e. The leadership of MyFutureNC. 2
55+(2) The use of funds and reporting of expenditures by participating community 3
56+colleges. In awarding grant funds to participating community colleges, the 4
57+State Board shall consider applications that propose to do the following: 5
58+a. Plan and pilot innovative initiatives to raise educational attainment and 6
59+decrease opportunity gaps. 7
60+b. Engage community-based organizations and resources. 8
61+c. Expand the use of work-based learning. 9
62+d. Provide financial support to cover (i) expenses beyond educational 10
63+tuition and fees and (ii) other services and supports to encourage 11
64+students to enroll and to complete education and training. 12
65+e. Provide local matching funds. 13
66+(3) The monitoring and control of spending grant funds, including support and 14
67+technical assistance to participating community colleges. 15
68+(b) Up to four percent (4%) of the funds appropriated to the Community Colleges System 16
69+Office for implementation of the Program in each fiscal year may be used for administrative 17
70+costs. 18
71+(c) Up to ten percent (10%) of the funds appropriated to the Community Colleges System 19
72+Office for implementation of the Program in each fiscal year may be used for marketing and 20
73+communications, including contracting with non-State entities for marketing and 21
74+communications. 22
75+"§ 115D-160. Grant amounts. 23
76+(a) To the extent funds are made available for the Program, the State Board of 24
77+Community Colleges shall award grants to participating community colleges in an amount up to 25
78+the lesser of (i) the actual cost associated with an application by a community college or (ii) two 26
79+hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). 27
80+(b) In the event that the funds appropriated for the Program are insufficient to award all 28
81+approved grant awards, each award shall be reduced by an equivalent percentage to ensure that 29
82+funding is awarded to all participating community colleges. 30
83+"§ 115D-165. Reporting requirement. 31
84+The State Board, in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, shall analyze data 32
85+pertaining to the Program and shall report annually by July 15 to the Joint Legislative Education 33
86+Oversight Committee on the following information from the prior academic year: 34
87+(1) The total dollar amount of grant funds awarded. 35
88+(2) The total number of participating community colleges. 36
89+(3) The progress of each local and regional partnership that partnered with a 37
90+participating community college, as reflected in high school graduation rates, 38
91+postsecondary enrollment and completion, job growth, and labor market 39
92+alignment, with data being disaggregated by income, race, ethnicity, and other 40
93+demographic characteristics, where available." 41
94+SECTION 2.(a) Notwithstanding G.S. 115D-160, as enacted by this act, for the 42
95+2025-2026 and 2026-2027 fiscal years, the State Board of Community Colleges shall allocate a 43
96+total of two million dollars ($2,000,000) to be directed to participating community colleges in 44
97+the following areas affected by Hurricane Helene: 45
98+(1) Alexander County. 46
99+(2) Alleghany County. 47
100+(3) Ashe County. 48
101+(4) Avery County. 49
102+(5) Buncombe County. 50
103+(6) Burke County. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
104+DRH40382-NG-110 Page 3
105+(7) Cabarrus County. 1
106+(8) Caldwell County. 2
107+(9) Catawba County. 3
108+(10) Cherokee County. 4
109+(11) Clay County. 5
110+(12) Cleveland County. 6
111+(13) Forsyth County. 7
112+(14) Gaston County. 8
113+(15) Graham County. 9
114+(16) Haywood County. 10
115+(17) Henderson County. 11
116+(18) Iredell County. 12
117+(19) Jackson County. 13
118+(20) Lee County. 14
119+(21) Lincoln County. 15
120+(22) Macon County. 16
121+(23) Madison County. 17
122+(24) McDowell County. 18
123+(25) Mecklenburg County. 19
124+(26) Mitchell County. 20
125+(27) Nash County. 21
126+(28) Polk County. 22
127+(29) Rowan County. 23
128+(30) Rutherford County. 24
129+(31) Stanly County. 25
130+(32) Surry County. 26
131+(33) Swain County. 27
132+(34) Transylvania County. 28
133+(35) Union County. 29
134+(36) Watauga County. 30
135+(37) Wilkes County. 31
136+(38) Yadkin County. 32
137+(39) Yancey County. 33
138+(40) The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 34
139+SECTION 2.(b) In the event that the total amount of grant awards for the 2025-2026 35
140+or 2026-2027 fiscal year to participating community colleges in areas listed in subsection (a) of 36
141+this section is less than two million dollars ($2,000,000), the State Board may use those funds to 37
142+award grants to participating community colleges that are not located in those areas. 38
143+SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community 39
144+Colleges System Office the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) in recurring funds for the 40
145+2025-2026 fiscal year to implement the provisions of this act. 41
146+SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 42