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North Carolina House Bill H987

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H987 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 987
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH10452-NDa-109
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Create Police Leadership Fellows Program. (Public)
89 Sponsors: Representative Longest.
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11-April 14, 2025
12-*H987 -v-1*
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH10452 -NDa-109*
1313 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1414 AN ACT TO CREATE THE POLICE LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM. 2
1515 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
1616 SECTION 1. Chapter 17C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new article 4
1717 to read: 5
1818 "Article 3. 6
1919 "North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program. 7
2020 "§ 17C-30. Definitions. 8
2121 As used in this Article, the following definitions apply: 9
2222 (1) Commission. – The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training 10
2323 Standards Commission. 11
2424 (2) Committee. – The North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Committee. 12
2525 (3) Division. – The Criminal Justice Standards Division of the North Carolina 13
2626 Department of Justice. 14
2727 (4) Eligible criminal justice professions. – State and local sworn law enforcement 15
2828 officers, State correctional officers, other correctional officers maintained by 16
2929 local governments and juvenile justice agencies, sworn sheriffs and deputy 17
3030 sheriffs, detention officers, and telecommunicators under the direct 18
3131 supervision of a law enforcement agency. 19
3232 (5) Program. – The North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program. 20
3333 (6) Recipient. – An individual selected by the Committee to receive a forgivable 21
3434 loan under the Program. 22
3535 "§ 17C-31. North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Committee established; membership. 23
3636 (a) Committee Established. – There is established the North Carolina Police Leadership 24
3737 Fellows Committee. The Committee shall be a Special Committee of the North Carolina Criminal 25
3838 Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, as defined in the Commission's bylaws. 26
3939 The Committee shall determine program and forgivable loan recipient selection criteria, selection 27
4040 procedures, and shall select the recipients to receive forgivable loans under the North Carolina 28
4141 Police Leadership Fellows Program in accordance with the requirements of this Article. 29
4242 (b) Membership. – The Committee shall consist of 10 members who shall be appointed 30
4343 as follows: 31
4444 (1) The chair of the Commission shall appoint eight members of the Commission 32
4545 to the Committee as follows: 33
4646 a. Three at-large members. 34
47-b. Two sworn law enforcement officers. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48-Page 2 House Bill 987-First Edition
49-c. Two correctional officers. 1
50-d. The ex officio member representing the President of The University of 2
51-North Carolina System. 3
52-(2) The chair of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards 4
53-Commission shall appoint two members of the North Carolina Sheriffs' 5
54-Education and Training Standards Commission to the Committee. 6
55-(c) Terms of Office. – Appointments to the Committee shall be for two-year terms, 7
56-commencing July 1, 2025. 8
57-(d) Chair; Meetings. – The chair of the Commission shall call the first meeting of the 9
58-Committee. The Committee members shall elect a chair and a vice-chair from the membership 10
59-of the Committee pursuant to the Commission's bylaws to serve one-year terms. The Committee 11
60-shall meet regularly at times and places deemed necessary by the chair or, in the absence of the 12
61-chair, by the vice-chair. 13
62-(e) Expenses. – Committee members shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel 14
63-allowances in accordance with G.S. 138-5 or G.S. 138-6, as appropriate. 15
64-(f) Vacancies. – Except as otherwise provided, if a vacancy occurs in the membership of 16
65-the Committee, the appointing authority shall appoint another person meeting the same 17
66-qualifications to serve for the balance of the unexpired term. 18
67-"§ 17C-32. North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program established; 19
68-administration. 20
69-(a) Program. – There is established the North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows 21
70-Program to be administered by the Committee with the assistance of the Division. The purpose 22
71-of the Program is to increase the number of criminal justice professionals by providing forgivable 23
72-loans to exceptional individuals to obtain Bachelor's Degrees from a constituent institution of the 24
73-University of North Carolina System in criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a 25
74-related field as determined by the Committee. 26
75-(b) Program Administrator. – The Director of the Division shall select a member of the 27
76-Division staff, with the consent of the Committee, to serve as the Program administrator. The 28
77-Program administrator will be responsible for all administrative duties and oversight of the 29
78-Program as established by the Committee. The Program administrator will conduct recruitment 30
79-efforts to include the following: 31
80-(1) Target high school graduates who, due to economic circumstances, are 32
81-displaced, unemployed, or underemployed. 33
82-(2) Target high school seniors who demonstrate an interest in being employed in 34
83-an eligible criminal justice profession. 35
84-(3) Engage with employees of eligible criminal justice professions and local 36
85-leaders for input in the Program. 37
86-(4) Attend high school career days, job fairs, and other activities to recruit 38
87-qualified individuals into the Program. 39
88-(c) Awards of Forgivable Loans. – The Program shall provide forgivable loans of up to 40
89-three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) per year, totaling a maximum of six thousand dollars 41
90-($6,000.00) over two years for the freshman and sophomore years, to selected individuals. The 42
91-Program shall provide forgivable loans of up to seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) per year, 43
92-totaling a maximum of six thousand dollars ($14,000.00) over two years for the junior and senoir 44
93-years, to selected individuals. The maximum forgivable loans to any recipient under the Program 45
94-shall be twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00). The funds from the forgivable loans may be used 46
95-for tuition, fees, and the cost of books. The Committee may determine the maximum amount of 47
96-loan proceeds that may be applied to university fees and course textbooks. The number of 48
97-recipients in the Program each year shall be at least 50 if there are sufficient Program applicants 49
98-to meet this minimum amount, and shall not exceed 100. The Committee shall select recipients 50
99-no later than June 1 of each year. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
100-House Bill 987-First Edition Page 3
47+b. Two sworn law enforcement officers. 35
48+c. Two correctional officers. 36
49+H.B. 987
50+Apr 10, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH10452-NDa-109
53+d. The ex officio member representing the President of The University of 1
54+North Carolina System. 2
55+(2) The chair of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards 3
56+Commission shall appoint two members of the North Carolina Sheriffs' 4
57+Education and Training Standards Commission to the Committee. 5
58+(c) Terms of Office. – Appointments to the Committee shall be for two-year terms, 6
59+commencing July 1, 2025. 7
60+(d) Chair; Meetings. – The chair of the Commission shall call the first meeting of the 8
61+Committee. The Committee members shall elect a chair and a vice-chair from the membership 9
62+of the Committee pursuant to the Commission's bylaws to serve one-year terms. The Committee 10
63+shall meet regularly at times and places deemed necessary by the chair or, in the absence of the 11
64+chair, by the vice-chair. 12
65+(e) Expenses. – Committee members shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel 13
66+allowances in accordance with G.S. 138-5 or G.S. 138-6, as appropriate. 14
67+(f) Vacancies. – Except as otherwise provided, if a vacancy occurs in the membership of 15
68+the Committee, the appointing authority shall appoint another person meeting the same 16
69+qualifications to serve for the balance of the unexpired term. 17
70+"§ 17C-32. North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program established; 18
71+administration. 19
72+(a) Program. – There is established the North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows 20
73+Program to be administered by the Committee with the assistance of the Division. The purpose 21
74+of the Program is to increase the number of criminal justice professionals by providing forgivable 22
75+loans to exceptional individuals to obtain Bachelor's Degrees from a constituent institution of the 23
76+University of North Carolina System in criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a 24
77+related field as determined by the Committee. 25
78+(b) Program Administrator. – The Director of the Division shall select a member of the 26
79+Division staff, with the consent of the Committee, to serve as the Program administrator. The 27
80+Program administrator will be responsible for all administrative duties and oversight of the 28
81+Program as established by the Committee. The Program administrator will conduct recruitment 29
82+efforts to include the following: 30
83+(1) Target high school graduates who, due to economic circumstances, are 31
84+displaced, unemployed, or underemployed. 32
85+(2) Target high school seniors who demonstrate an interest in being employed in 33
86+an eligible criminal justice profession. 34
87+(3) Engage with employees of eligible criminal justice professions and local 35
88+leaders for input in the Program. 36
89+(4) Attend high school career days, job fairs, and other activities to recruit 37
90+qualified individuals into the Program. 38
91+(c) Awards of Forgivable Loans. – The Program shall provide forgivable loans of up to 39
92+three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) per year, totaling a maximum of six thousand dollars 40
93+($6,000.00) over two years for the freshman and sophomore years, to selected individuals. The 41
94+Program shall provide forgivable loans of up to seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) per year, 42
95+totaling a maximum of six thousand dollars ($14,000.00) over two years for the junior and senoir 43
96+years, to selected individuals. The maximum forgivable loans to any recipient under the Program 44
97+shall be twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00). The funds from the forgivable loans may be used 45
98+for tuition, fees, and the cost of books. The Committee may determine the maximum amount of 46
99+loan proceeds that may be applied to university fees and course textbooks. The number of 47
100+recipients in the Program each year shall be at least 50 if there are sufficient Program applicants 48
101+to meet this minimum amount, and shall not exceed 100. The Committee shall select recipients 49
102+no later than June 1 of each year. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
103+DRH10452-NDa-109 Page 3
101104 (d) Eligibility Criteria. – An applicant must be domiciled in this State at the time of 1
102105 application, a resident for tuition purposes as defined in G.S. 116-143.1(a)(2), a high school 2
103106 graduate or a high school senior who will graduate from high school by the end of the current 3
104107 academic year, and demonstrate the intent upon completion of the Program to be employed in an 4
105108 eligible criminal justice profession. An applicant who has been convicted of any of the following 5
106109 is ineligible to receive a forgivable loan: 6
107110 (1) A felony. 7
108111 (2) A crime for which the punishment could have been imprisonment for more 8
109112 than two years. 9
110113 (3) A crime or unlawful act defined as a Class B misdemeanor within the five-year 10
111114 period prior to the date of application. 11
112115 (4) Four or more crimes or unlawful acts defined as Class A misdemeanors, 12
113116 except the trainee may be enrolled if the last conviction date occurred more 13
114117 than two years prior to the date of application. 14
115118 (5) A combination of four or more Class A misdemeanors or Class B 15
116119 misdemeanors regardless of the date of conviction. 16
117120 (e) Application Process. – The Committee may specify required application materials, 17
118121 including a certified State and local background check for applicants who are at least 18 years of 18
119122 age. Application materials and Committee deliberations are confidential and are not a public 19
120123 record as defined in G.S. 132-1. The Committee shall publish application, award, and notification 20
121124 deadlines and provide written notification to applicants regarding the outcome of the Committee's 21
122125 deliberations. 22
123126 (f) Award of Forgivable Loan. – The Committee shall adopt standards for awarding 23
124127 forgivable loans based on measures the Committee deems appropriate, including the following, 24
125128 and the selection of recipients by the Committee shall be final: 25
126129 (1) Scholastic Profile as determined by SAT or ACT scores, grade point average, 26
127130 and class rank when available. 27
128131 (2) Potential for excellence in an eligible criminal justice profession. 28
129132 (3) School and community service. 29
130133 (4) At least two references. 30
131134 (5) Demonstrated writing ability. 31
132135 (g) Administration of Forgivable Loan Awards. – Upon the naming of recipients by the 32
133136 Committee, the Division shall perform all administrative functions necessary to implement this 33
134137 Article, which functions shall include dissemination of information, disbursement, receipt, 34
135138 liaison with participating universities, determination of the acceptability of service repayment 35
136139 agreements, and all other functions necessary for the execution, payment, and enforcement of 36
137140 promissory notes required under this Article. 37
138141 (h) Recipient Obligations. – A recipient must become and remain a student at a 38
139142 constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System in a Bachelor's Degree in 39
140143 criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a related field as determined by the 40
141144 Committee, at all times during each of the recipient's four academic years of university study and 41
142145 pursue continuously studies that will qualify the recipient to be employed in an eligible criminal 42
143146 justice profession upon graduation. The recipient must maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA 43
144147 throughout the course of study and also maintain appropriate credit hours for each semester to 44
145148 obtain a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a related field 45
146149 as determined by the Committee. If the Committee, in its sole discretion, determines that 46
147150 circumstances warrant an extension of the period within which the recipient must obtain a 47
148151 Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a related field as 48
149152 determined by the Committee, the Committee may extend that period by up to 12 additional 49
150153 months. The recipient must also accept employment in an eligible criminal justice profession for 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
151-Page 4 House Bill 987-First Edition
154+Page 4 DRH10452-NDa-109
152155 at least eight years following graduation. The Committee may adopt additional recipient 1
153156 obligations it deems appropriate. 2
154157 (i) Annual Report. – The Program administrator, in coordination with the Committee, 3
155158 shall report no later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, to the Joint Legislative 4
156159 Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety regarding the following: 5
157160 (1) The number of forgivable loans awarded for each academic year 6
158161 disaggregated to include geographic and other demographic information. 7
159162 (2) Aggregated student performance, retention, and graduation rates. 8
160163 (3) Employment subsequent to completion of the Program broken down by 9
161164 county and eligible criminal justice profession. 10
162165 (4) Forgiveness, termination, default, and repayment rates. 11
163166 (5) Retention rates of recipients within criminal justice professions disaggregated 12
164167 by county. 13
165168 "§ 17C-33. Terms of forgivable loans; receipt and disbursement of funds; default. 14
166169 (a) Forgivable Loans. – All forgivable loans shall be evidenced by notes made payable 15
167170 to the Program that bear interest at a rate not to exceed ten percent (10%) per year as set by the 16
168171 Committee and beginning on the first day of September after the completion of the Program or 17
169172 60 days after termination of the forgivable loan, whichever is earlier. The forgivable loan may 18
170173 be terminated upon the recipient's withdrawal from school, by the recipient's failure to meet the 19
171174 standards set by the Committee, or by the recipient's default based on conditions set by the 20
172175 Committee. The Committee may only disburse funds to the university where the recipient is 21
173176 enrolled and may not disburse funds directly to a recipient. 22
174177 (b) Forgiveness. – The Committee shall forgive the loan and any interest accrued on the 23
175178 loan if, within eight years after obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice, government, 24
176179 the social sciences, or a related field as determined by the Committee, the recipient is employed 25
177180 on a full-time basis for a period of at least eight years in an eligible criminal justice profession. 26
178181 The recipient shall provide the Committee within 60 days of completion of the Program 27
179182 verification of the recipient's intent to seek employment in an eligible criminal justice profession. 28
180183 The recipient shall provide verification of employment to the Committee each year until the 29
181184 obligation is satisfied. The Committee shall also forgive the loan if it finds that it is impossible 30
182185 for the recipient to meet the terms of the loan, after or before graduation, due to death or 31
183186 permanent disability of the recipient. 32
184187 (c) Extension. – The Committee may extend repayment of the loan for up to two years 33
185188 on a year-to-year basis for each year if (i) the recipient is on active duty with the Armed Forces 34
186189 of the United States or (ii) the Committee, in its sole discretion, determines that circumstances 35
187190 warrant an extension. 36
188191 (d) Repayment. – If the recipient notifies the Committee that the recipient intends to 37
189192 forego forgiveness of the loan after completion of the Program, the Committee shall provide the 38
190193 recipient with the conditions of repayment and the recipient will have 60 days to begin repayment 39
191194 of all funds distributed, including interest. The recipient will have up to 60 months to repay all 40
192195 funds distributed, including interest. 41
193196 (e) Default. – The Committee shall determine the events that constitute a default during 42
194197 the Program, including, but not limited to, failure by the recipient to comply with the obligations 43
195198 set out in G.S. 17C-32(h). In the event of default during the Program, the Committee may declare 44
196199 the entire unpaid amount of indebtedness evidenced by the note, including interest, immediately 45
197200 due and payable. A default shall preclude further participation by the recipient in the Program. 46
198201 Upon default, the Committee shall notify the recipient, in writing, by certified mail, return receipt 47
199202 requested, addressed to the recipient at the last address on file with the Committee. Refusal or 48
200203 nondelivery at that address will be deemed delivered after seven days. The Committee may allow 49
201204 a recipient who is in default to repay all funds distributed, including interest. If the Committee 50
202205 approves repayment, the recipient will receive the conditions of repayment and will have 60 days 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
203-House Bill 987-First Edition Page 5
206+DRH10452-NDa-109 Page 5
204207 to begin repayment of all funds distributed, including interest. The recipient will have up to 60 1
205208 months to repay all funds distributed, including interest." 2
206209 SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 3