AN ACT to appropriate funds for community college personnel for legislatively mandated salary increases and recruitment and retention.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of one hundred twenty‑nine million three hundred four thousand five hundred fifty‑two dollars ($129,304,552) in recurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year and the sum of two hundred fifty‑eight million six hundred nine thousand one hundred four dollars ($258,609,104) in recurring funds for the 2024‑2025 fiscal year to provide legislatively mandated salary increases for community college personnel in the amount of ten percent (10%) in the 2023‑2024 fiscal year and an additional ten percent (10%) in the 2024‑2025 fiscal year.

SECTION 2.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of twenty‑five million dollars ($25,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year to be allocated to the community colleges to be used for recruitment and retention of employees working in the following areas:

(1)        Allied health.

(2)        Transportation.

(3)        Engineering.

(4)        Trades.

(5)        Sciences and biotechnology.

(6)        Information technology.

SECTION 2.(b)  The funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be used, in the discretion of the community college, for merit pay, across‑the‑board increases, recruitment bonuses, retention increases, and any other compensation increase pursuant to policies adopted by the State Board of Community Colleges. The State Board of Community Colleges shall report to the General Assembly and the Fiscal Research Division on the use of these funds by no later than March 1, 2024.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2023.