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HB 396

An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in certification of teachers, providing for emergency certification applicants for career and technical education certification.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Marla Brown and 6 co-sponsors

Creates a Nursing Fellows Program at WSSU with forgivable loans and a Trust Fund to recruit, educate, and support nurses and nurse-educators, including curriculum support.

Referred to Education
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Bill Summary · HB 396

Summary — HB 396: Nursing Fellows Program & Curriculum Support Funds (Winston‑Salem State University)

Status: Introduced (First reading Mar 17, 2025); referred to Appropriations. Sponsors: Reps. Lambeth, Potts, White (primary). Public bill to establish a Nursing Fellows Program at Winston‑Salem State University (WSSU) and create a fund to support forgivable loans and related program activities.

Purpose

Create a targeted forgivable‑loan program and Trust Fund to recruit, prepare, and support students at WSSU to become registered nurses and nurse‑educators, with the goal of strengthening the nursing workforce and increasing the supply of nursing instructors for qualifying nursing programs across North Carolina. The bill also authorizes curriculum support activities at WSSU as part of the program.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a new Part (Part 3A) in Article 23, Chapter 116: the "Nursing Fellows Program."
  • Creates the Nursing Fellows Program Trust Fund to hold:
    • State appropriations,
    • Gifts/grants to the program,
    • Repayments of loans and interest earned on the fund.
  • Authorizes forgivable loans to students enrolled at WSSU in:
    • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs, and
    • Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN‑Ed) for those pursuing instructor careers.
  • Loan uses: tuition, fees, books, and related expenses.
  • Award amounts (per academic term): up to $5,000 per semester or $2,500 per summer session.
    • For students pursuing qualifying nurse careers: forgivable loan support for up to five semesters (text truncated for additional instructor‑track detail).
  • Eligibility:
    • Students enrolled at WSSU in the BSN (and, if applicable, MSN‑Ed) programs.
    • To receive MSN support, student must enroll within two years of BSN graduation.
    • Definitions in bill also reference “eligible nurse”/“qualifying nurse” status tied to program participation and licensure.
  • Administration and governance:
    • Program administered by the State Education Assistance Authority in cooperation with the Dean of WSSU’s School of Health Sciences.
    • Dean sets selection criteria and leads recruitment (targeting regions with greatest need), staffing, and coordination.
  • Use of Trust Fund monies limited to: forgivable loans, program administrative costs (including recruitment and loan recovery), mentoring/coaching, and extracurricular enhancements.
    • The Authority must transfer 6% of available Trust Fund monies to WSSU each fiscal year for program administration/extracurricular activities and mentoring (mentoring capped at up to $2,200 per recipient).
    • The Authority may use up to 4% of annual appropriations to the Trust Fund for administrative costs.
  • Reporting/audit: The Trust Fund is a special nonlapsing fund; oversight provisions and detailed reporting/administrative requirements are included.

Fiscal impact (summary)

  • The bill creates a funded Trust Fund mechanism; the fiscal impact depends on future appropriations to the Trust Fund and any gifts/grants. The bill limits allowable administrative draws to specific percentages (6% transfer to WSSU; Authority up to 4%).
  • No dollar appropriation is specified within the included text; appropriations would be enacted separately (or in other parts of the bill not shown).

Who is affected

  • Primary: WSSU students in BSN and MSN‑Ed programs who receive forgivable loans.
  • Secondary: WSSU School of Health Sciences (administration/staff), State Education Assistance Authority, qualifying nursing programs statewide (community colleges, universities, eligible private institutions) that may benefit from increased instructor supply.
  • State budget: potential future appropriations to capitalize the Trust Fund.

Procedure / Timeline

  • Bill introduced and referred to Appropriations (first reading March 17, 2025). Further committee action and appropriations decisions will determine timing of fund capitalization and loan awards.

Notes: The bill text provided was truncated in parts (particularly later details on loan term limits for instructor tracks and any explicit curriculum support appropriation amounts). The summary above reflects the substantive provisions available in the introduced draft.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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