AN ACT to establish and appropriate funds to the community college critical technologies workforce fund.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Article 3 of Chapter 115D of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 115D‑44.  Community College Critical Technologies Workforce Fund.

(a)        Definition. – For purposes of this section, the term critical technologies refers to any of the following:

(1)        A clean energy or clean transportation technology, including the manufacturing of semiconductors.

(2)        Cybersecurity technology.

(3)        Technology essential to supporting, maintaining, or constructing the domestic electrical grid or for proper handling or management of recycling or reusing decommissioned renewable energy equipment.

(4)        Drinking water infrastructure.

(5)        Any materials or components directly used in the technologies listed in this subsection.

(b)        There is established the Community College Critical Technologies Workforce Fund to be administered by the Community Colleges System Office. The Fund shall consist of all monies appropriated to the Fund and any interest accrued thereon. The Fund shall be used to support workforce development programs in community colleges related to critical technologies in order to enhance the economic competitiveness of the State and promote national security and energy independence from foreign energy sources. Monies appropriated to the Fund shall not revert but shall remain available until expended. The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt a formula for the distribution of the monies in the Fund based on the number of full‑time equivalent students enrolled in a community college.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community College Critical Technologies Workforce Fund the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2022‑2023 fiscal year to be used in accordance with G.S. 115D‑44, as enacted by Section 1 of this act.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2022.