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Bill Summary · HB 612

Summary — HB 612: Expand Criminal Justice Fellows Program

Status: Withdrawn from Committee
Introduced: April 24, 2025 (per file)
Subject areas: Higher education, financial aid, law enforcement, occupations

Purpose / Intent

HB 612 would amend the North Carolina Criminal Justice Fellows Program to broaden eligible counties and to allow the program’s administering committee greater discretion to extend certain deadlines for loan awards and degree completion. The bill is intended to increase access to forgivable education loans that support recruiting and retaining criminal justice personnel in eligible counties.

Key provisions

  • Definitions
    • “Eligible county” remains defined by population (counties with population under 200,000 per latest federal decennial census).
  • Forgivable loan awards
    • Loans of up to $3,152 per year (maximum $6,304 over two years) may be awarded to selected individuals to cover tuition, fees, and books at North Carolina community colleges.
    • The Committee may extend the loan award period to three years for individual recipients if circumstances warrant, but may not increase the maximum total loan amount.
    • The Committee may set limits on how much of loan proceeds apply to fees/textbooks.
    • Annual caps: no more than 100 forgivable loans awarded per year; total program recipients that year capped at 200.
    • Selection deadline: Committee selects recipients no later than June 1 each year.
  • Recipient eligibility and obligations
    • Applicants must be domiciled in NC, qualify for in-state tuition, be a high‑school graduate (or senior graduating that academic year), and intend to work in an eligible criminal justice profession in an eligible county.
    • Criminal-conviction exclusions: felony convictions, crimes punishable by >2 years, certain recent Class B misdemeanors, or multiple Class A/B misdemeanors (as detailed in statute).
    • Recipients must be full‑time community college students in an Applied Associate Degree in Criminal Justice (or approved related field), maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA, and complete the degree within two years (Committee may extend completion period by up to 12 months).
    • Post‑graduation employment obligation: accept employment in an eligible county in an eligible criminal justice profession for at least 4 of the 5 years following graduation in order to have the loan forgiven.
  • Reporting
    • Program administrator must report annually (to legislative oversight) on awards, student outcomes (retention, graduation), employment after completion (by county and profession), forgiveness/default rates, and retention in criminal justice professions.
  • Effective date / applicability
    • The act would take effect upon enactment and apply to participants and Committee extension determinations on or after that date.

Who is affected

  • Primary: community college students pursuing Applied Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice (or approved related fields) and criminal justice employers in eligible counties.
  • Secondary: community colleges (administration/financial aid), the Program Committee (administration/selection), and county employers seeking to recruit/retain criminal justice staff.

Fiscal/Programmatic impact

  • The bill does not appropriate new funds; it sets program terms and caps. If the Committee awards the statutory maximum of 100 loans in a year at the annual maximum ($3,152), annual disbursements would be up to $315,200 (recipients could receive additional funds in subsequent year(s) up to the $6,304 cap over two years). Actual cost depends on number of awards and Committee decisions.

Procedural note

  • Per the provided file, HB 612 was introduced and later marked “Withdrawn From Com.” If reenacted or reintroduced, the bill would follow regular legislative consideration (committee referral, readings, potential amendments).

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

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