A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish an economic stimulus grant program for tier 1 counties.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Commerce the sum of one hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2020‑2021 fiscal year. The Department shall establish an economic stimulus grant program for counties designated as a development tier one area pursuant to G.S. 143B‑437.08 for the 2020 calendar year. The program shall be used to provide funds to assist local government units in (i) conducting laborshed studies for areas or regions from which employment centers draw commuting workers in order to assist community leaders, economic developers, site selectors, and existing or prospective employers in understanding the workforce characteristics of local labor markets, (ii) identifying, planning assistance for, and developing regional low‑wealth corridors, (iii) studying and addressing disparities, including implementing gap programs, experienced by women‑ and minority‑owned businesses, and (iv) other programs and activities designed to increase prosperity and ameliorate economic distress in development tier one areas.
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.