A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to the Science Center and environmental park of forsyth county (Sciworks), a nonprofit corporation.
Whereas, The Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County, SciWorks, has been the leader in providing exceptional science and technology learning experiences to Forsyth County and surrounding communities since 1964; and
Whereas, SciWorks offers visitors interactive exhibits in physics, biology, the natural sciences, health sciences, astronomy, and technology; and
Whereas, SciWorks includes a 120‑seat planetarium, a science museum with collections in geology, birds, mammals, shells, and technology, and an environmental park with walking trails through outdoor displays of the wetlands and bog gardens, the woodland forest, and the foothills stream exhibit; and
Whereas, over 90,000 people visited SciWorks in 2005, including 30,000 schoolchildren from 23 North Carolina counties and six counties in southwest Virginia who visited during field trips; and
Whereas, State support of SciWorks will not only help educate the citizens of the State in the areas of science, technology, and the environment, but will also provide an economic benefit to the Piedmont region of the State by attracting visitors; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to The Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County (SciWorks), a nonprofit corporation, the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the 2006‑2007 fiscal year to make improvements to the facilities of the Center, including new, state‑of‑the‑art exhibits as well as upgrades and enhancements to existing exhibits.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2006.