GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 696

Short Title:	Utility Funds/Low-Wealth Comm. Coll.	(Public)
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Sponsors: 	Representatives Gillespie; Tolson (Primary Sponsors), Allen, Arnold, Barbee, Bonner, Brown, Buchanan, Carpenter, Church, Clary, Cox, Crawford, Creech, Culp, Edwards, Fitch, Goodwin, Grady, Hill, Hunter, Hurley, Melton, Morris, Nye, Preston, Rayfield, Russell, Sexton, Smith, Starnes, Thomas, Thompson, Tucker, Wainwright, and Walend.
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Referred to:	Appropriations.
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March 30, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR UTILITY COSTS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES LOCATED IN LOW-WEALTH COUNTIES.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Community Colleges the sum of eleven million four hundred seventy-nine thousand eight hundred fifty-three dollars ($11,479,853) for the 1999-2000 fiscal year and the sum of eleven million four hundred seventy-nine thousand eight hundred fifty-three dollars ($11,479,853) for the 2000-2001 fiscal year to provide funds for utilities in community colleges and community college satellites located in low-wealth counties. 
These funds shall be available to a county only if:
(1)	The county opts to receive funds under this section;
(2)	A community college or community college satellite located in the county can show capital needs demonstrated by a total space needs assessment;
(3)	The county sets aside in a capital account an equal amount of money that would otherwise be used for utilities; and
(4)	The county is a low-wealth county.  The State Board of Community Colleges shall use the formula used by the State Board of Education to distribute supplemental public school funds in low-wealth counties to determine whether a county is a low-wealth county.  A county is a low-wealth county if, under that formula, the county's wealth is less than one hundred percent (100%) of the State average wealth.
The funds a county receives under this act and the matching amount that it sets aside in a capital account pursuant to this act shall be used only for the construction, reconstruction, enlargement, improvement, repair, or renovation of community college buildings and for the purchase of land for community college buildings.  As used in this act, "community college buildings" only includes facilities for individual community colleges or community college satellites that are used for instructional and related purposes and does not include centralized administration, maintenance, or other facilities.
Section 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1999.