A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds for the latin american resource center.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Latin American Resource Center, a North Carolina nonprofit corporation based in Wake County, the sum of one hundred twenty‑five thousand dollars ($125,000) for the 2004‑2005 fiscal year.  These funds shall be used to:
(1)	Operate the Center's DIALOGO‑CONEXION programs. DIALOGO‑CONEXION offers after‑school and summer school programs primarily for the benefit of children residing in or attending public schools in southeast Raleigh;
(2)	The operation, expansion, and evaluation of the Center's programs, including its teacher apprenticeship program. All of these programs are designed to:
a.	Engage students, families of students, school personnel, human services agencies, and other community agencies and organizations in an interactive multicultural educational setting to raise student academic performance and close achievement gaps,
b.	Foster human relations, cultural enrichment, life skills, and
c.	Reduce the likelihood of school dropout, teen pregnancy, violence, and other risky behaviors; and
(3)	Enhance the research base for the programs and provide a model for disseminating relevant results and other information to Wake County schools and other school systems in North Carolina.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2004.