Create Police Leadership Fellows Program.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 987

Short Title: Create Police Leadership Fellows Program. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Longest.
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 14, 2025
*H987-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO CREATE THE POLICE LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM. 2
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
SECTION 1. Chapter 17C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new article 4
to read: 5
"Article 3. 6
"North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program. 7
"§ 17C-30. Definitions. 8
As used in this Article, the following definitions apply: 9
(1) Commission. – The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training 10
Standards Commission. 11
(2) Committee. – The North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Committee. 12
(3) Division. – The Criminal Justice Standards Division of the North Carolina 13
Department of Justice. 14
(4) Eligible criminal justice professions. – State and local sworn law enforcement 15
officers, State correctional officers, other correctional officers maintained by 16
local governments and juvenile justice agencies, sworn sheriffs and deputy 17
sheriffs, detention officers, and telecommunicators under the direct 18
supervision of a law enforcement agency. 19
(5) Program. – The North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program. 20
(6) Recipient. – An individual selected by the Committee to receive a forgivable 21
loan under the Program. 22
"§ 17C-31. North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Committee established; membership. 23
(a) Committee Established. – There is established the North Carolina Police Leadership 24
Fellows Committee. The Committee shall be a Special Committee of the North Carolina Criminal 25
Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, as defined in the Commissio n's bylaws. 26
The Committee shall determine program and forgivable loan recipient selection criteria, selection 27
procedures, and shall select the recipients to receive forgivable loans under the North Carolina 28
Police Leadership Fellows Program in accordance with the requirements of this Article. 29
(b) Membership. – The Committee shall consist of 10 members who shall be appointed 30
as follows: 31
(1) The chair of the Commission shall appoint eight members of the Commission 32
to the Committee as follows: 33
a. Three at-large members. 34
b. Two sworn law enforcement officers. 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 987-First Edition
c. Two correctional officers. 1
d. The ex officio member representing the President of The University of 2
North Carolina System. 3
(2) The chair of the North Carolina Sheriffs ' Education and Training Standards 4
Commission shall appoint two members of the North Carolina Sheriffs ' 5
Education and Training Standards Commission to the Committee. 6
(c) Terms of Office. – Appointments to the Committee shall be for two -year terms, 7
commencing July 1, 2025. 8
(d) Chair; Meetings. – The chair of the Commission shall call the first meeting of the 9
Committee. The Committee members shall elect a chair and a vice -chair from the membership 10
of the Committee pursuant to the Commission's bylaws to serve one-year terms. The Committee 11
shall meet regularly at times and places deemed necessary by the chair or, in the absence of the 12
chair, by the vice-chair. 13
(e) Expenses. – Committee members shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel 14
allowances in accordance with G.S. 138-5 or G.S. 138-6, as appropriate. 15
(f) Vacancies. – Except as otherwise provided, if a vacancy occurs in the membership of 16
the Committee, the appointing authority shall appoint another person meeting the same 17
qualifications to serve for the balance of the unexpired term. 18
"§ 17C -32. North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows Program established; 19
administration. 20
(a) Program. – There is established the North Carolina Police Leadership Fellows 21
Program to be administered by the Committee with the assistance of the Division. The purpose 22
of the Program is to increase the number of criminal justice professionals by providing forgivable 23
loans to exceptional individuals to obtain Bachelor's Degrees from a constituent institution of the 24
University of North Carolina System in criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a 25
related field as determined by the Committee. 26
(b) Program Administrator. – The Director of the Division shall select a member of the 27
Division staff, with the consent of the Committee, to serve as the P rogram administrator. The 28
Program administrator will be responsible for all administrative duties and oversight of the 29
Program as established by the Committee. The Program administrator will conduct recruitment 30
efforts to include the following: 31
(1) Target high school graduates who, due to economic circumstances, are 32
displaced, unemployed, or underemployed. 33
(2) Target high school seniors who demonstrate an interest in being employed in 34
an eligible criminal justice profession. 35
(3) Engage with employees of eli gible criminal justice professions and local 36
leaders for input in the Program. 37
(4) Attend high school career days, job fairs, and other activities to recruit 38
qualified individuals into the Program. 39
(c) Awards of Forgivable Loans. – The Program shall provide forgivable loans of up to 40
three thousand dollars ($3, 000.00) per year, totaling a maximum of six thousand dollars 41
($6,000.00) over two years for the freshman and sophomore years, to selected individuals. The 42
Program shall provide forgivable loans of up to seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) per year, 43
totaling a maximum of six thousand dollars ($14,000.00) over two years for the junior and senoir 44
years, to selected individuals. The maximum forgivable loans to any recipient under the Program 45
shall be twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00). The funds from the forgivable loans may be used 46
for tuition, fees, and the cost of books. The Committee may determine the maximum amount of 47
loan proceeds that may be applied to university fees and course textbooks. The number of 48
recipients in the Program each year shall be at least 50 if there are sufficient Program applicants 49
to meet this minimum amount, and shall not exceed 100. The Committee shall select recipients 50
no later than June 1 of each year. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 987-First Edition Page 3
(d) Eligibility Criteria. – An applicant must be domiciled in this State at the time of 1
application, a resident for tuition purposes as defined in G.S. 116-143.1(a)(2), a high school 2
graduate or a high school senior who will grad uate from high school by the end of the current 3
academic year, and demonstrate the intent upon completion of the Program to be employed in an 4
eligible criminal justice profession. An applicant who has been convicted of any of the following 5
is ineligible to receive a forgivable loan: 6
(1) A felony. 7
(2) A crime for which the punishment could have been imprisonment for more 8
than two years. 9
(3) A crime or unlawful act defined as a Class B misdemeanor within the five-year 10
period prior to the date of application. 11
(4) Four or more crimes or unlawful acts defined as Class A misdemeanors, 12
except the trainee may be enrolled if the last conviction date occurred more 13
than two years prior to the date of application. 14
(5) A combination of four or more Class A misdemeanors o r Class B 15
misdemeanors regardless of the date of conviction. 16
(e) Application Process. – The Committee may specify required application materials, 17
including a certified State and local background check for applicants who are at least 18 years of 18
age. Application materials and Committee deliberations are confidential and are not a public 19
record as defined in G.S. 132-1. The Committee shall publish application, award, and notification 20
deadlines and provide written notification to applicants regarding the outcome of the Committee's 21
deliberations. 22
(f) Award of Forgivable Loan. – The Committee shall adopt standards for awarding 23
forgivable loans based on measures the Committee deems appropriate, including the following, 24
and the selection of recipients by the Committee shall be final: 25
(1) Scholastic Profile as determined by SAT or ACT scores, grade point average, 26
and class rank when available. 27
(2) Potential for excellence in an eligible criminal justice profession. 28
(3) School and community service. 29
(4) At least two references. 30
(5) Demonstrated writing ability. 31
(g) Administration of Forgivable Loan Awards. – Upon the naming of recipients by the 32
Committee, the Division shall perform all administrative functions necessary to implement this 33
Article, which functions shall include dissemination of information, disbursement, receipt, 34
liaison with participating universities, determination of the acceptability of service repayment 35
agreements, and all other functions necessary for the execution, payment, and enforcement of 36
promissory notes required under this Article. 37
(h) Recipient Obligations. – A recipient must become and remain a student at a 38
constituent institution of the University of North Carolin a System in a Bachelor's Degree in 39
criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a related field as determined by the 40
Committee, at all times during each of the recipient's four academic years of university study and 41
pursue continuously studies that will qualify the recipient to be employed in an eligible criminal 42
justice profession upon graduation. The recipient must maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA 43
throughout the course of study and also maintain appropriate credit hours for each semester to 44
obtain a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice, government, the social sciences, or a related field 45
as determined by the Committee. If the Committee, in its sole discretion, determines that 46
circumstances warrant an extension of the period within which the recipient must obtain a 47
Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice, government, t he social sciences, or a related field as 48
determined by the Committee , the Committee may extend that period by up to 12 additional 49
months. The recipient must also accept employment in an eligible criminal justice profession for 50
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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at least eight years followi ng graduation. The Committee may adopt additional recipient 1
obligations it deems appropriate. 2
(i) Annual Report. – The Program administrator, in coordination with the Committee, 3
shall report no later than January 1, 202 7, and annually thereafter, to the Jo int Legislative 4
Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety regarding the following: 5
(1) The number of forgivable loans awarded for each academic year 6
disaggregated to include geographic and other demographic information. 7
(2) Aggregated student performance, retention, and graduation rates. 8
(3) Employment subsequent to completion of the Program broken down by 9
county and eligible criminal justice profession. 10
(4) Forgiveness, termination, default, and repayment rates. 11
(5) Retention rates of recipients within criminal justice professions disaggregated 12
by county. 13
"§ 17C-33. Terms of forgivable loans; receipt and disbursement of funds; default. 14
(a) Forgivable Loans. – All forgivable loans shall be evidenced by notes made payable 15
to the Program that bear interest at a rate not to exceed ten percent (10%) per year as set by the 16
Committee and beginning on the first day of September after the completion of the Program or 17
60 days after termination of the forgivable loan, whichever is earlier. The forgivab le loan may 18
be terminated upon the recipient's withdrawal from school, by the recipient's failure to meet the 19
standards set by the Committee, or by the recipient 's default based on conditions set by the 20
Committee. The Committee may only disburse funds to t he university where the recipient is 21
enrolled and may not disburse funds directly to a recipient. 22
(b) Forgiveness. – The Committee shall forgive the loan and any interest accrued on the 23
loan if, within eight years after obtaining a Bachelor's Degree i n criminal justice, government, 24
the social sciences, or a related field as determined by the Committee, the recipient is employed 25
on a full-time basis for a period of at least eight years in an eligible criminal justice profession. 26
The recipient shall provide t he Committee within 60 days of completion of the Program 27
verification of the recipient's intent to seek employment in an eligible criminal justice profession. 28
The recipient shall provide verification of employment to the Committee each year until the 29
obligation is satisfied. The Committee shall also forgive the loan if it finds that it is impossible 30
for the recipient to meet the terms of the loan, after or before graduation, due to death or 31
permanent disability of the recipient. 32
(c) Extension. – The Committee may extend repayment of the loan for up to two years 33
on a year-to-year basis for each year if (i) the recipient is on active duty with the Armed Forces 34
of the United States or (ii) the Committee, in its sole discretion, determines that circumstances 35
warrant an extension. 36
(d) Repayment. – If the recipient notifies the Committee that the recipient intends to 37
forego forgiveness of the loan after completion of the Program, the Committee shall provide the 38
recipient with the conditions of repayment and the recipient will have 60 days to begin repayment 39
of all funds distributed, including interest. The recipient will have up to 60 months to repay all 40
funds distributed, including interest. 41
(e) Default. – The Committee shall determine the events that constitute a default during 42
the Program, including, but not limited to, failure by the recipient to comply with the obligations 43
set out in G.S. 17C-32(h). In the event of default during the Program, the Committee may declare 44
the entire unpaid amount of indebtedness evidenced by the note, including interest, immediately 45
due and payable. A default shall preclude further participation by the recipient in the Program. 46
Upon default, the Committee shall notify the recipient, in writing, by certified mail, return receipt 47
requested, addressed to the recipient at the last address on file with the Committee. Refusal or 48
nondelivery at that address will be deemed delivered after seven days. The Committee may allow 49
a recipient who is in default to repay all funds distributed, including interest. If the Committee 50
approves repayment, the recipient will receive the conditions of repayment and will have 60 days 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 987-First Edition Page 5
to begin repayment of all funds distributed, including interest. The recipient will have up to 60 1
months to repay all funds distributed, including interest." 2
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 3