North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S630 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 630
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS45275-NHa-97
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: School Mental Health Support Act. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Bradley, Everitt, and Batch (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S630 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS45275 -NHa-97
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR A SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANT 2
14	15		PROGRAM AND TO ESTABLISH A MENTAL HEALTH WORKER LOAN 3
15	16		REPAYMENT PROGRAM . 4
16	17		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
17	18		6
18	19		PART I. SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM 7
19	20		SECTION 1.(a) Article 25B of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 8
20	21		adding a new section to read: 9
21	22		"§ 115C-376.6. Mental Health Grant Program. 10
22	23		(a) Definitions. – For purposes of this section, the term "mental health support personnel" 11
23	24		refers to any of the following: 12
24	25		(1) School counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers. 13
25	26		(2) Psychiatrists licensed in accordance with Article 1 of Chapter 90 of the 14
26	27		General Statutes. 15
27	28		(3) Psychologists, as defined in G.S. 90-270.136(6). 16
28	29		(4) Licensed psychological associates, as defined in G.S. 90-270.136(7). 17
29	30		(5) Licensed clinical mental health counselors, as defined in G.S. 90-330(a). 18
30	31		(6) Substance use disorder professionals, as defined in G.S. 90-113.31A(26). 19
31	32		(7) Social workers engaged in clinical social work practice, as defined in 20
32	33		G.S. 90B-3(6). 21
33	34		(b) Program; Purpose. – The Department of Public Instruction shall establish the School 22
34	35		Mental Health Grant Program (Program). To the extent funds are made available for the Program, 23
35	36		its purpose is to increase student access to mental health support personnel in public school units. 24
36	37		(c) Applications. – The Department shall make grant applications available to public 25
37	38		school units pursuant to this section. The Department shall establish (i) deadlines for receipt of 26
38	39		applications and the award of funds and (ii) any information to be included in the applications. 27
39	40		(d) Award of Funds. – The Department shall award funds to selected public school units 28
40	41		based on the need of the public school unit. In evaluating the need of the unit, the Department 29
41	42		shall prioritize the award of funds to units with a greater proportion of students who have limited 30
42	43		or no access to mental health services, including students who do not have health insurance and 31
43	44		students with disabilities. 32
44	45		(e) Use of Funds. – A public school unit shall use funds received pursuant to the Program 33
45	46		to contract with mental health support personnel to provide mental health services in one or more 34
46		-	schools in the public school unit. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
47		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 630-First Edition
	47	+	schools in the public school unit. 35
	48	+	FILED SENATE
	49	+	Mar 25, 2025
	50	+	S.B. 630
	51	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	52	+	Page 2 DRS45275-NHa-97
48	53		(f) Supplement Not Supplant. – Grants provided to public school units pursuant to the 1
49	54		Program shall be used to supplement and not supplant funds from any other source already 2
50	55		provided for mental health services in schools. 3
51	56		(g) Report. – No later than March 15 of each year in which funds are provided for the 4
52	57		Program, the Department shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee 5
53	58		and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services at least the 6
54	59		following information: 7
55	60		(1) The public school units that received a grant through the Program. 8
56	61		(2) The amount of funding received by each public school unit. 9
57	62		(3) The services purchased with grant funds by each public school unit. 10
58	63		(4) Recommendations for the implementation of additional measures to improve 11
59	64		student mental health, especially among students with limited or no access to 12
60	65		mental health services." 13
61	66		SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 14
62	67		Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) in 15
63	68		recurring funds to provide grants for school mental health services in public school units in 16
64	69		accordance with G.S. 115C-376.6, as enacted by this act. The Department may use up to 17
65	70		seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) of these funds each year for administrative costs related 18
66	71		to the Program. 19
67	72		20
68	73		PART II. MENTAL HEALTH WORKER LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM 21
69	74		SECTION 2.(a) Part 1 of Article 23 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is 22
70	75		amended by adding the following new section to read: 23
71	76		"§ 116-209.47. Mental Health Worker Loan Repayment Program. 24
72	77		(a) Definitions. – The following definitions shall apply in this section: 25
73	78		(1) Authority. – The State Education Assistance Authority. 26
74	79		(2) Eligible mental health worker. – A psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, 27
75	80		social worker, or nurse who meets all of the following requirements: 28
76	81		a. Is employed full time in a high-need area in the State. 29
77	82		b. Graduated from a postsecondary constituent institution of The 30
78	83		University of North Carolina. 31
79	84		c. Has student debt. 32
80	85		(3) High-need area. – A development tier one or tier two area, as defined in 33
81	86		G.S. 143B-437.08. 34
82	87		(4) Program. – The Mental Health Worker Loan Repayment Program. 35
83	88		(5) Student debt. – The total outstanding federal, State, and private student debt 36
84	89		held by an eligible mental health worker for his or her own education. 37
85	90		(b) Program; Purpose. – There is established the Mental Health Worker Loan Repayment 38
86	91		Program to be administered by the Authority. The purpose of the Program is to provide loan 39
87	92		repayment grants to eligible mental health workers to repay student debt held by the worker to 40
88	93		the extent funds are made available for this purpose. 41
89	94		(c) Eligibility. – The Authority shall establish the criteria for initial and continuing 42
90	95		eligibility to participate in the Program, as follows: 43
91	96		(1) All grant recipients shall be residents of North Carolina and be graduates of a 44
92	97		postsecondary constituent institution of The University of North Carolina. 45
93	98		(2) The Authority shall adopt standards deemed appropriate by the Authority to 46
94	99		ensure that only qualified, potential recipients receive a grant under the 47
95	100		Program. 48
96	101		(3) To the extent funds provided pursuant to this section are insufficient to award 49
97	102		forgivable loans to all interested eligible mental health workers, the Authority 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
98		-	~~Senate Bill 630-First Edition~~ Page 3
	103	+	DRS45275-NHa-97 Page 3
99	104		may establish a lottery process for selection of grant recipients from among 1
100	105		qualified applicants within criteria established by this section. 2
101	106		(d) Award of Funds. – The Authority shall award funds to eligible mental health workers 3
102	107		in an amount of twenty percent (20%) of each eligible mental health worker's student debt as of 4
103	108		the date of his or her initial award. Funds shall be awarded no later than October 1 of each year, 5
104	109		and no award recipient shall receive an award of funds for more than five years. 6
105	110		(e) Rulemaking Authority. – The Authority may adopt rules necessary to implement, 7
106	111		administer, market, and enforce the provisions of this section. 8
107	112		(f) Report to the General Assembly. – The Authority shall report no later than December 9
108	113		1, 2025, and annually thereafter while grants are awarded by the Authority, to the Joint 10
109	114		Legislative Education Oversight Committee regarding the Program and grants awarded pursuant 11
110	115		to the Program, including at least the following information: 12
111	116		(1) Grants awarded under the Program, including the following: 13
112	117		a. Demographic information for grant recipients. 14
113	118		b. Number of grant recipients by constituent institution of graduation, 15
114	119		field of employment, and high-need area. 16
115	120		(2) Recommendations to improve the Program and increase the number of 17
116	121		eligible mental health workers in high-need areas." 18
117	122		SECTION 2.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of 19
118	123		Governors of The University of North Carolina the sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) in 20
119	124		recurring funds to be allocated to the State Education Assistance Authority for the 2025-2026 21
120	125		fiscal year to establish the Mental Health Worker Loan Repayment Program pursuant to 22
121	126		subsection (a) of this section. Of the recurring funds appropriated in this act for the Program, 23
122	127		beginning in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the Authority may retain up to five hundred thousand 24
123	128		dollars ($500,000) each fiscal year to administer the Program. 25
124	129		SECTION 2.(c) This section becomes effective July 1, 2025, and applies to 26
125	130		applications for the disbursement of funds beginning in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. 27
126	131		28
127	132		PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 29
128	133		SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 30