A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide that students accepted for admission in the school of dentistry at east carolina university are eligible for the Board of governors' dental scholarship program.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 116‑40.10 reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Administration of Dental Scholarship Program. – The Board of Governors' Dental Scholarship Loan Program was established by the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina. The Board of Governors' Dental Scholarship Loan Program operates under the purview of the Board of Governors and is administered by the Board of Governors.
(b)	Dental Scholarship Loan Program. – Pursuant to this section, the Board of Governors' Dental Scholarship Loan Program may provide a four‑year scholarship loan of relevant tuition and fees, mandatory medical insurance, required laptop computers to any first‑year students, required dental equipment, and an annual stipend of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year to any student who has been accepted for admission to the School of Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or to the School of Dentistry at East Carolina University.
(c)	Criteria for Awarding Scholarship Loans. – The Board of Governors may adopt standards, including minimum grade point average and scholastic aptitude test scores, for awarding these scholarship loans to ensure that only the most qualified students receive them. The Board of Governors shall make an effort to identify and encourage minority and economically disadvantaged youth to enter the program.
(d)	Terms of Scholarship Loans. – All awards made under this section shall be made as scholarship loans and shall be evidenced by notes made payable to the Board that shall bear interest at the rate of ten percent (10%) per year beginning September 1 after completion of the program, or immediately after termination of the scholarship loan, whichever is earlier. The scholarship loan may be terminated by the recipient withdrawing from school or by the recipient not meeting the standards set by the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors shall forgive the loan if, within seven years after graduation, the recipient practices dentistry in a rural or underserved area of North Carolina for four years. The Board of Governors shall also forgive the loan if it finds that it is impossible for the recipient to practice dentistry in North Carolina for four years, within seven years after graduation, because of the death or permanent disability of the recipient.
(e)	Reversions. – All unused funds appropriated to or otherwise received by the Board for scholarship loans, all funds received as repayment of scholarship loans, and all interest earned on these funds shall revert to the General Fund at the end of each fiscal year."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.