AN ACT to appropriate funds to regional councils of government for long‑term economic development planning.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Commerce the sum of sixteen million dollars ($16,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2024‑2025 fiscal year to be allocated to the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Government (NCARCOG), which shall equally distribute the funds among the 16 regional councils of governments created pursuant to G.S. 160A‑470. Each regional council of government shall use the funds to develop a regional economic development plan to be submitted to and certified by NCARCOG. NCARCOG shall consult with the Departments of Commerce and Environmental Quality in developing criteria used to evaluate and certify the submitted plans. Each plan shall (i) cover a 10‑year period and address, at a minimum, economic, workforce, transportation, utilities, health, and housing needs of the region for that period, (ii) be approved by all member governments within the region for the plan, and (iii) be submitted no later than December 1, 2025, to NCARCOG for certification.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2024.