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Bill Summary · HB 7

Summary — HB 7: NC REACH Act

North Carolina Reclaiming College Education on America’s Constitutional Heritage (NC REACH Act)

Status (as provided): Reported Favorably, Committee Substitute. (See “Timing & next steps” below for reporting deadlines.)

Main purpose

Require that students at UNC constituent institutions (baccalaureate degrees) and North Carolina community colleges (associate degrees) complete at least three credit hours of instruction in American history or American government as a condition of graduation — with minimum content and assessment standards — so every graduate receives a common grounding in foundational American documents, principles, and historical context.

Key provisions

  • Graduation requirement
    • Each UNC constituent institution that offers a baccalaureate degree must require at least 3 credit hours in American history or American government for graduation (G.S. 116-11.5).
    • Each community college must require at least 3 credit hours in American history or American government for an associate degree (G.S. 115D-11).
  • Course content minimums (course required under the statute must)
    • Require students to read in their entirety:
    • U.S. Constitution
    • Declaration of Independence
    • Emancipation Proclamation
    • At least five essays from the Federalist Papers (instructor selects)
    • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
    • The Gettysburg Address
    • North Carolina State Constitution
    • George Washington’s Farewell Address
    • Include a cumulative final exam on the principles in those documents:
    • The exam must account for at least 20% of the student’s total course grade.
    • The exam should focus on provisions/principles of the listed documents, authors’ perspectives, and historical context.
  • Exemptions and credit transfer
    • A chancellor (or designee) may exempt a student if the student already completed an approved equivalent (e.g., AP, IB, AS/A-Level AICE, or dual enrollment) meeting the section’s requirements.
  • Credit-hour/degree load protection
    • The requirement must not increase the total credit hours required for a degree; institutions must absorb the 3-credit requirement by removing one elective course requirement (i.e., reallocate existing credits).
  • Oversight, reporting, and compliance
    • The UNC Board of Governors and the State Board of Community Colleges must adopt policies to implement the requirement and ensure incorporation into degree requirements without increasing total credits or conflicting with accreditation.
    • Board of Governors must report annually (first report due November 15, 2026) to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on each institution’s compliance; reports must include, at minimum, a syllabus for each course offered to comply.
    • The Board of Governors may remove a chancellor for failure to comply over more than one academic year.

Who is affected

  • Students seeking baccalaureate degrees at UNC constituent institutions and students seeking associate degrees at community colleges.
  • UNC constituent institutions, community colleges, their academic departments and faculty (must offer or designate compliant courses and adjust curricula).
  • Institutional leadership (chancellors), the UNC Board of Governors, and the State Board of Community Colleges (policy adoption and enforcement).
  • The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (receives annual compliance reports).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Academic/administrative: Institutions must identify or develop compliant courses, adjust degree maps (remove electives), update catalogs, and provide syllabi and compliance documentation.
  • Student experience: Most students will take (or receive exemption for) the required 3-credit course; transfer/AP/dual-enrollment credit pathways are recognized.
  • Accreditation: The bill prohibits conflicts with accreditation processes, but institutions will need to ensure alignment.
  • Enforcement: Annual reporting and the Board’s removal authority for chancellors create accountability measures; this may increase administrative workload.
  • Fiscal: No statewide fiscal note included here; anticipated administrative costs are primarily institutional (course development, tracking, compliance reporting).

Timing & next steps

  • The statute requires the Board(s) to adopt necessary policies and incorporate the requirement into degree programs; the first institutional compliance report is due November 15, 2026, and annually thereafter.
  • Implementation actions: curriculum committees, registrars, and institutional leadership will need to operationalize the change before the reporting deadline and upcoming graduation cohorts.

If you want, I can:
- Draft a one‑page checklist institutions can use to implement the requirement, or
- Produce suggested syllabus elements and exam-item topics that align with the statute’s requirements.

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

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