GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1447

Short Title:  MLK Race Relations Ctr. Funds.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives Blue; Fitch and Luebke.

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Referred to:  Appropriations.

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April 29, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE MARTIN LUTHER KING RACE RELATIONS RESEARCH CENTER AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY.
Whereas, Martin Luther King, Jr. was driven by his vision of racial equality for all people and devoted his life and ministry to the pursuit of this dream; and
Whereas, the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center will be a state-of-the-art research facility that will serve as a repository for case studies and academic research from the State and nation's top scholars in the disciplines of sociology, psychology, anthology, genetic biology, theology, economics, public safety, and technology; and
Whereas, the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center will benefit from the keenest minds of scholars, academicians from area colleges and universities, and beyond; and
Whereas, the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center will be the "crown jewel”of innovative and proactive programs designed to improve race relations through racial reconciliation efforts; and
Whereas, the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center's scholars will dutifully examine previously conducted studies and form ongoing collaborations with State institutions, agencies, commissions, and grassroots civic and community-based groups in conducting applied and clinical research; and
Whereas, the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center will serve as a Leadership Training Laboratory for creative thought, which will teach, motivate, and indoctrinate young people in the pursuit of educational disciplines which foster self-growth and development, leadership skills, reconciliation skills, spiritual enlightenment, and communication skills; and
Whereas, the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center's objectives are as follows:
(1)	Collect data which support strategies focused on the enhancement of racial and cultural cooperation, communication, and understanding.
(2)	Document disparity levels between ethnic and cultural groups relating to housing, educational attainment, and availability of medical resources.
(3)	Identify and catalog community resources available in the areas of child care, economic development, health care, crime prevention, job training, and community development.
(4)	Identify and document the long-term psychological and physiological effects of social policy and group behavior, and to seek root causes of youth violence and develop substantive conflict resolution systems throughout society.
(5)	Understand the nature of the race/socio-economic class relationship and to provide solutions and strategies in overcoming persistent barriers; Now, therefore,
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 sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the 1999-2000 fiscal year to be allocated to North Carolina State University for planning, site development, and construction of the Martin Luther King Race Relations Research Center.
Section 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1999.