AN ACT to establish a pilot program for public school students to attend a field trip to the legislative building.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Program; Purpose. – There is established the Legislative Building Field Trip Pilot Program (Program) for the 2025‑2026 and 2026‑2027 school years. The purpose of the Program is to encourage civic engagement and study by assisting public school units in conducting one field trip per school year to tour the Legislative Building.

SECTION 2.  Application. – No later than August 1 of each year that funds are made available for the Program, the Department of Public Instruction shall develop and publish criteria and guidelines for the application process for the Program in the upcoming school year. Applications shall include, at a minimum, a proposed budget for the field trip for each school in the public school unit. All public school units are eligible to apply. The Department shall accept applications until October 1 of each year of the Program.

SECTION 3.  Selection. – No later than November 1 of each year of the Program, the Department shall select applicants for the Program. The Department shall prioritize selection of public school units that are located in a county designated as a tier 1 pursuant to G.S. 143B‑437.08.

SECTION 4.  Award; Use of Funds. – Each selected public school unit shall receive an award of up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) per school in the public school unit, but the amount received shall not be greater than the amount estimated to be needed per school in the proposed budget submitted with the application. Funds may be used for transportation expenses to and from the Legislative Building. Travel expenses include only bus rental, fuel, or compensation for drivers.

SECTION 5.  Report. – No later than February 15 of each year of the Program, the Department of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee at least the following information:

(1)        The public school units that received a grant.

(2)        A description of how the grants were used.

(3)        An estimate of the number of students that toured the Legislative Building through the Program.

(4)        The number of applications for the Program that were received but not awarded a grant and the total amount needed to fund those applications.

SECTION 6.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) in nonrecurring funds in each year of the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium to fund the Legislative Building Field Trip Pilot Program as established by this act.

SECTION 7.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.