AN ACT to provide for the State board of community colleges to solicit a learning management system for all community colleges and to add the community colleges system office to the list of entities exempted in G.S. 143B‑1320.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  The State Board of Community Colleges shall conduct a competitive solicitation, including a request for information or a request for proposals, to provide a learning management system to all community colleges. The competitive solicitation shall be completed by December 31, 2025. Answers to the competitive solicitation shall include information on how the learning management system would align with the learning management systems (i) offered by the Department of Public Instruction to local school administrative units and (ii) used by the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina.

SECTION 1.(b)  By December 31, 2025, the State Board shall report to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education/Higher Education, the House Appropriations Committee on Education, and the Fiscal Research Division on the information received.

SECTION 2.  G.S. 143B‑1320 reads as rewritten:

§ 143B‑1320.  Definitions; scope; exemptions.

(a)        Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this Article:

(1)        CGIA. – Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.

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(17)      State agency or agency. – Any agency, department, institution, commission, committee, board, division, bureau, office, unit, officer, or official of the State. The term does not include the legislative or judicial branches of government government, the Community Colleges System Office, or The University of North Carolina.

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(b)        Exemptions. – Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, the provisions of this Chapter do not apply to the following entities: the General Assembly, the Judicial Department, the Community Colleges System Office, and The University of North Carolina and its constituent institutions. These entities may elect to participate in the information technology programs, services, or contracts offered by the Department, including information technology procurement, in accordance with the statutes, policies, and rules of the Department. The election must be made in writing, as follows:

(1)        For the General Assembly, by the Legislative Services Commission.

(2)        For the Judicial Department, by the Chief Justice.

(2a)      For the Community Colleges System Office, by the State Board of Community Colleges.

(3)        For The University of North Carolina, by the Board of Governors.

(4)        For the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, by the respective boards of trustees.

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SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.