A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to make students enrolled in the paramedic‑to‑bsn program offered at tri‑county community college by winston‑salem state university eligible for in‑state community college tuition and to make students enrolled in the paramedic‑to‑bsn program offered at winston‑salem state university eligible for in‑state university tuition.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115D‑39(a) reads as rewritten:
"§ 115D‑39.  Student tuition and fees.
(a)	The State Board of Community Colleges shall fix and regulate all tuition and fees charged to students for applying to or attending any institution pursuant to this Chapter.
The receipts from all student tuition and fees, other than student activity fees, shall be State funds and shall be deposited as provided by regulations of the State Board of Community Colleges.
The legal resident limitation with respect to tuition, set forth in G.S. 116‑143.1 and G.S. 116‑143.3, shall apply to students attending institutions operating pursuant to this Chapter; provided, however, that when an employer other than the armed services, as that term is defined in G.S. 116‑143.3, pays tuition for an employee to attend an institution operating pursuant to this Chapter and when the employee works at a North Carolina business location, the employer shall be charged the in‑State tuition rate; provided further, however, a community college may charge in‑State tuition to up to one percent (1%) of its out‑of‑state students, rounded up to the next whole number, to accommodate the families transferred by business, the families transferred by industry, or the civilian families transferred by the military, consistent with the provisions of G.S. 116‑143.3, into the State. Notwithstanding these requirements, a refugee who lawfully entered the United States and who is living in this State shall be deemed to qualify as a domiciliary of this State under G.S. 116‑143.1(a)(1) and as a State resident for community college tuition purposes as defined in G.S. 116‑143.1(a)(2). Also, a nonresident of the United States who has resided in North Carolina for a 12‑month qualifying period and has filed an immigrant petition with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service shall be considered a State resident for community college tuition purposes. A student who is in the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Tri‑County Community College by Winston‑Salem State University shall be considered a State resident for community college tuition purposes so long as the student remains in good standing in the Program."
SECTION 2.  Article 14 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 116‑143.6.  Tuition of certain students in the Paramedic‑BSN‑Program at Winston‑Salem State University.
Notwithstanding G.S. 116‑143.1, any student who enrolls in the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Winston‑Salem State University shall be eligible to be charged the in‑State tuition rate for courses relevant to that Program so long as the student remains in good standing in the Program."
SECTION 3.  There shall be a separate early registration period for in‑State students for the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Tri‑County Community College by Winston‑Salem State University to ensure that no out‑of‑state student displaces an in‑State student in the Program.
SECTION 4.  Winston‑Salem State University and Tri‑County Community College shall thoroughly evaluate the effects of the grant of in‑State tuition in this act on the production, retention, and utilization of registered nurses in the State.  They shall report their findings and their recommendation on continuing the grant of in‑State tuition to  the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and the State Board of Community Colleges prior to January 1, 2009.
SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law and expires July 31, 2009.  Students who enter the Paramedic‑to‑BSN Program offered at Tri‑County Community College by Winston‑Salem State University or enter the Program at Winston‑Salem State University prior to July 31, 2009, shall continue to receive in‑State tuition in the Program until they complete it so long as they remain in good standing in the Program.