GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
H	1
HOUSE BILL 1368

 
 
Short Title:	MLK Resource Center Funds.	()	
Sponsors:	Representatives Blue and Michaux.	
Referred to:	Appropriations.	
April 24, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. RESOURCE CENTER OF NORTH CAROLINA.

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, Jr. Resource 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, anthropology, genetic biology, theology, economics, public safety, and technology; and
Whereas, the Center will benefit from the keenest minds of scholars, academicians from area colleges and universities, and beyond; and
Whereas, pursuant to its ideals and purposes, the Center has sought and received by unanimous vote of The University of North Carolina Board of Governors collaborative involvement and support among other private institutions of higher learning in North Carolina; and
Whereas, representatives of several of the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina will serve on the Board of Directors of the King Center; and
Whereas, the Center will represent our best hope of bringing together a multidisciplinary team of experts, public officials, human service agency leaders, and grassroots citizens to dig deeply into finding manageable solutions to today's complex social problems related to educational and economic disparities throughout society; and
Whereas, the Center is designed to receive operating funds from private sources, including foundations, corporations, and civic organizations, and shall be matched by State funds during the 2001‑2002 fiscal year on the basis of two dollars of State funds for every one dollar of non‑State funds; and
Whereas, the Center will be located in Raleigh, but will serve as a resource for the entire State and its operations, programs, research, and solutions will be made available to all organizations; elected officials; State, county, and municipal agencies; media outlets; and educational institutions throughout the State and nation via various forms of electronic and technological means; and
Whereas, the Center will be the "crown jewel" of innovative and proactive programs designed to improve race relations through racial reconciliation efforts; and
Whereas, the 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 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 Center's objectives are as follows:
(1)	Collect data that supports 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, seek root causes of youth violence, and develop substantive conflict resolution systems throughout society.
(5)	Understand the nature of the race/socioeconomic class relationship and 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 Raleigh‑Wake Martin Luther King Celebration Committee, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the 2001‑2002 fiscal year for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Resource Center of North Carolina.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2001.