AN ACT to provide funds to north carolina state university for a pilot program in wake county to increase diversity in the game of pickleball.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina the nonrecurring sum of ten thousand one hundred twelve dollars ($10,112) for the 2022‑2023 fiscal year to be allocated to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University for a pilot program located in Wake County promoting the sport of pickleball. The purpose of the pilot program is to promote a sport with a variety of public health benefits, including physical activity, social and community connections, and psychological well‑being, in a competitive setting that is multiculturally and socioeconomically inclusive and that has low cost of entry and high ease‑of‑play. The pilot shall consist of the following: (i) at least two focus groups conducted to gain insight into how to best create and promote the program and to increase diversity among pickleball participants, (ii) creation of a branded introduction to the program and sport, including name, logo, and physical and digital marketing materials, (iii) marketing of the program, with or without community partners, using websites, social media, direct email, event days, and demonstrations, (iv) a four‑week session held both in the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023 at the recreation centers in Raleigh located on Method Road and Chavis Park, and (v) post‑program evaluation and creation of a toolkit that can be used to implement similar programs for parks and recreation departments and other community organizations. Funds appropriated in this section do not revert but remain available to the Department for the purposes provided herein.

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.