| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF 2 |
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| 14 | 15 | | COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO ESTABLISH THE STUDENT VOTER 3 |
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| 15 | 16 | | IDENTIFICATION GRANT PROGRAM AND TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY 4 |
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| 16 | 17 | | COLLEGES TO APPLY FOR GRANTS UNDER THE PROGRAM. 5 |
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| 17 | 18 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6 |
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| 18 | 19 | | SECTION 1.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community 7 |
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| 19 | 20 | | Colleges System Office the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring 8 |
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| 20 | 21 | | funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the State Board of Community Colleges to establish the 9 |
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| 21 | 22 | | Student Voter Identification Grant Program (Program) to provide grants to community colleges 10 |
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| 22 | 23 | | of up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per community college to upgrade necessary 11 |
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| 23 | 24 | | equipment and facilities to produce student identification cards that can be used to vote in person 12 |
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| 24 | 25 | | in accordance with G.S. 163-166.16. The State Board shall develop a process for receiving 13 |
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| 25 | 26 | | applications from community colleges and award grants no later than August 15, 2025, to any 14 |
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| 26 | 27 | | community college that submits a reasonable and timely plan for the expenditure of funds 15 |
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| 27 | 28 | | consistent with the purposes of the Program. No community college shall receive more than one 16 |
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| 28 | 29 | | grant under the Program. No later than February 15, 2026, the System Office shall report to the 17 |
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| 29 | 30 | | Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the identity of the community colleges 18 |
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| 30 | 31 | | receiving grants under the Program and the purchases made with the funds awarded. 19 |
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| 31 | 32 | | SECTION 1.(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the 20 |
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| 32 | 33 | | State Board of Elections shall review and approve the application of any community college 21 |
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| 33 | 34 | | receiving funds under the Student Voter Identification Grant Program established in subsection 22 |
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| 34 | 35 | | (a) of this section that is submitted to the State Board by September 1, 2025, to have its student 23 |
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| 35 | 36 | | identification cards approved for use as photo identification cards, if the application complies 24 |
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| 36 | 37 | | with other requirements for such an application established by the State Board. 25 |
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| 37 | 38 | | SECTION 2. It is the intent of the General Assembly (i) to encourage all community 26 |
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| 38 | 39 | | colleges in the State that do not have student identification cards that can be used to vote in person 27 |
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| 39 | 40 | | in accordance with G.S. 163-166.16 to apply to receive grants under the Student Voter 28 |
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| 40 | 41 | | Identification Grant Program established pursuant to Section 1 of this act and (ii) that the Program 29 |
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| 41 | 42 | | remove the existing financial barriers of community colleges to providing students with valid 30 |
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| 42 | 43 | | photo identification for voting. 31 |
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| 43 | 44 | | SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 32 |
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