North Carolina SB 585: Local Govts/Mental Health/ CC Tuition Waiver.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 585

Short Title: Local Govts/Mental Health/ CC Tuition Waiver. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Murdock (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S585-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT PROVIDING THAT CERTAIN MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIANS AND PEER 2
SUPPORT SPECIALISTS IN MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY EMS OR RESCUE AND 3
LIFESAVING DEPARTMENTS MAY RECEIVE A WAIVER OF TUITION AND 4
REGISTRATION FEES WHEN ATTENDING COMMUNITY COLLEGE. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. G.S. 115D-5 reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 115D-5. Administration of institutions by State Board of Community Colleges; 8
personnel exempt from North Carolina Human Resources Act; extension 9
courses; tuition waiver; in-plant training; contracting, etc., for establishment 10
and operation of extension units of the community college system; use of existing 11
public school facilities. 12
... 13
(b) In order to make instruction as accessible as possible to all citizens, the teaching of 14
curricular courses and of noncurricular extension courses at convenient locations away from 15
institution campuses as well as on campuses is authorized and shall be encouraged. A pro rata 16
portion of the established regular tuition rate charged a full-time student shall be charged a 17
part-time student taking any curriculum course. In lieu of any tuition charge, the State Board of 18
Community Colleges shall establish a uniform registration fee, or a schedule of uniform 19
registration fees, to be charged students enrolling in extension courses for which instruction is 20
financed primarily from State funds. The State Board of Community Colleges may provide by 21
general and uniform regulations for waiver of tuition and registration fees for the following: 22
... 23
(2) Courses requested by the following entities that support the organizations' 24
training needs and are on a specialized course list approved by the State Board 25
of Community Colleges: 26
... 27
d. Municipal, county, or State EMS or rescue and lifesaving departments. 28
This sub-subdivision includes municipal and county departments 29
whose primary responsibility is to (i) embed mental health clinicians 30
in 911 call centers to assist in directing and providing appropriate 31
resources to calls for service and (ii) pair mental health clinicians, peer 32
support specialists, and other trained professionals with first 33
responders to respond to calls for service. 34
...." 35
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 36