North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H69 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 2
	3	+	H 1
4	4		HOUSE BILL 69
5		-	Committee Substitute Favorable 3/11/25
6	5
7		-	Short Title: Military and Veterans Educational Promise Act. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors:
9		-	Referred to:
	6	+
	7	+	Short Title: Veterans Educational Promise Act. (Public)
	8	+	Sponsors: Representatives Campbell, Chesser, Hastings, and Pittman (Primary Sponsors).
	9	+	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
	10	+	Referred to: Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs, if favorable, Higher
	11	+	Education, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
10	12		February 10, 2025
11		-	H69-v-2
	13	+	H69-v-1
12	14		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13		-	AN ACT TO PROHIBIT D ISCRIMINATORY ADMISS IONS POLICIES REGARDING 2
14		-	ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS ; TO REQUIRE MILITARY 3
15		-	ADMISSIONS DEFERMENT FOR CERTAIN PERSONS ADMITTED TO 4
16		-	CONSTITUENT INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA; AND 5
17		-	TO PROVIDE IN-STATE TUITION TO CERTAIN H ONORABLY DISCHARGED 6
18		-	VETERANS. 7
19		-	The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 8
20		-	9
21		-	PART I. NONDISCRIMIN ATORY ADMISSIONS EVA LUATIONS AND MILITAR Y 10
22		-	DEFERMENT 11
23		-	SECTION 1. Article 1 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding 12
24		-	a new Part to read: 13
25		-	"Part 8A. Military Admissions and Deferment. 14
26		-	"§ 116-44.9A. Definitions. 15
27		-	For purposes of this Part, the following definitions shall apply: 16
28		-	(1) Applicant. – An individual who has applied for admission to a constituent 17
29		-	institution of The University of North Carolina. 18
30		-	(2) Armed Forces. – The United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine 19
31		-	Corps, Navy, Space Force, and North Carolina National Guard. 20
32		-	(3) Constituent institution of The University of North Carolina. – A constituent 21
33		-	institution of higher education of The University of North Carolina, as defined 22
34		-	in G.S. 116-2(4), excluding the constituent high school, the North Carolina 23
35		-	School of Science and Mathematics. 24
36		-	(4) Reserve Armed Forces. – The reserve components of any of the Armed 25
37		-	Forces. 26
38		-	(5) Uniformed service. – Any of the following: 27
39		-	a. Armed Forces. 28
40		-	b. Reserve Armed Forces. 29
41		-	c. The Merchant Marine. 30
42		-	"§ 116-44.9B. Nondiscriminatory evaluations of applications. 31
43		-	A constituent institution of The University of North Carolina shall not deny admission to any 32
44		-	applicant solely on the basis of the applicant's indication that the applicant is serving in the 33
45		-	uniformed service or that the applicant intends to serve in the uniformed service. 34
46		-	"§ 116-44.9C. Deferment. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
47		-	Page 2 House Bill 69-Second Edition
48		-	(a) Deferment Requests. – The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina 1
49		-	shall adopt a policy requiring constituent institutions to provide for enrollment deferment for 2
50		-	members of the uniformed services and spouses of members of the uniformed services if the 3
51		-	deferment is requested at least 30 days prior to enrollment in a constituent institution. 4
52		-	(b) Deferment Periods. – Members and spouses of members of the reserve Armed Forces 5
53		-	shall be granted deferments of at least two years after entry into the reserve Armed Forces. All 6
54		-	other members and spouses of members of the uniformed services shall be granted deferments 7
55		-	of at least five years after entry into the uniformed services." 8
56		-	9
57		-	PART II. IN-STATE TUITION FOR HONORABLY DISCHARG ED VETERANS 10
58		-	SECTION 2. Article 14 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding 11
59		-	a new section to read: 12
60		-	"§ 116-143.3B. Tuition of qualifying veterans. 13
61		-	(a) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 14
62		-	(1) Armed Forces. – The United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine 15
63		-	Corps, Navy, Space Force, the North Carolina National Guard, and any 16
64		-	reserve component of any of these entities. 17
65		-	(2) Qualifying veteran. – An individual who meets all of the following criteria: 18
66		-	a. Served active duty for not less than 90 days in the Armed Forces. 19
67		-	b. Received an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces. 20
68		-	c. Meets at least one of the following criteria: 21
69		-	1. Graduated from high school in North Carolina on or after 22
70		-	January 1, 2004. 23
71		-	2. Served active duty in the Armed Forces with a permanent 24
72		-	station in North Carolina for at least 90 continuous days. 25
73		-	3. Was awarded a Purple Heart. 26
74		-	(b) Any qualifying veteran admitted to an institution of higher education, as defined in 27
75		-	G.S. 116-143.1(a)(3), shall be charged the in-State tuition rate and applicable mandatory fees for 28
76		-	enrollment, without having to satisfy the 12-month residency requirement under G.S. 116-143.1. 29
77		-	(c) The individual applying for the benefit of this section has the burden of proving 30
78		-	entitlement to the benefit." 31
79		-	32
80		-	PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 33
81		-	SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 34
82		-	the 2025-2026 academic year. 35
	15	+	AN ACT TO REQUIRE MI LITARY ADMISSIONS DE FERMENT FOR CERTAIN 2
	16	+	PERSONS ADMITTED TO CONSTITUENT INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF 3
	17	+	NORTH CAROLINA AND T O PROVIDE IN-STATE TUITION TO CERTAIN 4
	18	+	HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERANS. 5
	19	+	The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
	20	+	7
	21	+	PART I. MILITARY ADMISSIONS DEFERMENT 8
	22	+	SECTION 1. Article 1 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding 9
	23	+	the following new section to read: 10
	24	+	"§ 116-11.5. Admissions of military personnel. 11
	25	+	(a) Definitions. – For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: 12
	26	+	(1) Armed Forces. – The United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine 13
	27	+	Corps, Navy, and Space Force. 14
	28	+	(2) Constituent institution of The University of North Carolina. – A constituent 15
	29	+	institution of higher education of The University of North Carolina, as defined 16
	30	+	in G.S. 116-2(4), excluding the constituent high school, the North Carolina 17
	31	+	School of Science and Mathematics. 18
	32	+	(3) Eligible applicant. – A person who has been admitted to a constituent 19
	33	+	institution of The University of North Carolina and is one of the following: 20
	34	+	a. A member of the uniformed service. 21
	35	+	b. The spouse of a member of the uniformed service. 22
	36	+	(4) Reserve Armed Forces. – The reserve components of any of the Armed 23
	37	+	Forces. 24
	38	+	(5) Uniformed service. – Any of the following: 25
	39	+	a. Armed Forces. 26
	40	+	b. Reserve Armed Forces. 27
	41	+	c. The Merchant Marine. 28
	42	+	(b) Deferment. – The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina shall adopt 29
	43	+	a policy requiring constituent institutions to allow eligible applicants to defer admission to a 30
	44	+	constituent institution, if the eligible applicant provides notice to the constituent institution at 31
	45	+	least 30 days prior to enrollment, as follows: 32 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	46	+	Page 2 House Bill 69-First Edition
	47	+	(1) For eligible applicants who are members of the reserve Armed Forces, for a 1
	48	+	period of at least two years after the member accepts entry into the reserve 2
	49	+	Armed Forces. 3
	50	+	(2) For all other eligible applicants, for a period of at least five years after the 4
	51	+	member accepts entry into active-duty service. 5
	52	+	(c) Evaluation of Certain Applications. – A constituent institution of The University of 6
	53	+	North Carolina shall not deny admission to any applicant who indicates his or her intention to 7
	54	+	serve in the uniformed service or whose application indicates that the applicant may serve in the 8
	55	+	uniformed service. 9
	56	+	(d) Federal Law. – Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede federal law or 10
	57	+	to require a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina to violate federal law, 11
	58	+	including the requirements for readmission of members of the uniformed service provided in 34 12
	59	+	C.F.R. § 668.18." 13
	60	+	14
	61	+	PART II. IN-STATE TUITION FOR HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERANS 15
	62	+	SECTION 2. G.S. 116-143.3 reads as rewritten: 16
	63	+	"§ 116-143.3. Tuition of qualifying federal services members and members, their spouses 17
	64	+	and dependents.dependents, and certain qualifying veterans. 18
	65	+	(a) Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section: 19
	66	+	… 20
	67	+	(2) Armed Forces. – The United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine 21
	68	+	Corps, and Navy; Navy, and Space Force; the North Carolina National Guard; 22
	69	+	and any reserve component of the foregoing. 23
	70	+	… 24
	71	+	(5) Qualifying veteran. – A person who meets all of the following criteria: 25
	72	+	a. Served active duty for not less than 90 days in the Armed Forces. 26
	73	+	b. Received an Honorable Discharge from service. 27
	74	+	c. Meets at least one of the following criteria: 28
	75	+	1. Graduated from high school in North Carolina on or after 29
	76	+	January 1, 2004. 30
	77	+	2. Served active duty in the Armed Forces with a permanent duty 31
	78	+	station in North Carolina for at least 90 continuous days. 32
	79	+	3. Was awarded a Purple Heart. 33
	80	+	… 34
	81	+	(c2) Any qualifying veteran admitted to an institution of higher education, as defined in 35
	82	+	G.S. 116-143.1(a)(3), but not qualifying as a resident for tuition purposes under G.S. 116-143.1, 36
	83	+	shall be charged the in-State tuition rate and applicable mandatory fees for enrollments. 37
	84	+	(d) The person applying for the benefit of this section has the burden of proving 38
	85	+	entitlement to the benefit. 39
	86	+	(e) A person charged less than the out-of-state tuition rate solely by reason of this section 40
	87	+	shall not, during the period of receiving that benefit, qualify for or be the basis of conferring the 41
	88	+	benefit of G.S. 116-143.1(g), (h), (i), (j), (k), or (l)." 42
	89	+	43
	90	+	PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 44
	91	+	SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 45
	92	+	the 2025-2026 academic year. 46