AN ACT providing that certain mental health clinicians and peer support specialists in municipal and county EMS or rescue and lifesaving departments may receive a waiver of tuition and registration fees when attending community college.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115D‑5 reads as rewritten:

§ 115D‑5.  Administration of institutions by State Board of Community Colleges; personnel exempt from North Carolina Human Resources Act; extension courses; tuition waiver; in‑plant training; contracting, etc., for establishment and operation of extension units of the community college system; use of existing public school facilities.

…

(b)        In order to make instruction as accessible as possible to all citizens, the teaching of curricular courses and of noncurricular extension courses at convenient locations away from institution campuses as well as on campuses is authorized and shall be encouraged. A pro rata portion of the established regular tuition rate charged a full‑time student shall be charged a part‑time student taking any curriculum course. In lieu of any tuition charge, the State Board of Community Colleges shall establish a uniform registration fee, or a schedule of uniform registration fees, to be charged students enrolling in extension courses for which instruction is financed primarily from State funds. The State Board of Community Colleges may provide by general and uniform regulations for waiver of tuition and registration fees for the following:

…

(2)        Courses requested by the following entities that support the organizations' training needs and are on a specialized course list approved by the State Board of Community Colleges:

…

d.         Municipal, county, or State EMS or rescue and lifesaving departments. This sub‑subdivision includes municipal and county departments whose primary responsibility is to (i) embed mental health clinicians in 911 call centers to assist in directing and providing appropriate resources to calls for service and (ii) pair mental health clinicians, peer support specialists, and other trained professionals with first responders to respond to calls for service.

….

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2025.