GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
S	1
SENATE BILL 141

 
 
Short Title:	North Carolina Geographic Alliance Funds.	()	
Sponsors:	Senators Warren;  Albertson, Clodfelter, Dalton, Dannelly, Foxx, Purcell, Rand, and Wellons.	
Referred to:	Appropriations/Base Budget.	
February 14, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to support the activities of the north carolina geographic alliance.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 2001‑2002 fiscal year and the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 2002‑2003 fiscal year to fund the activities of the North Carolina Geographic Alliance, which is headquartered at East Carolina University. These funds shall be used by the Alliance to:
(1)	Increase communication and cooperation between the professional geographic community within The University of North Carolina System and the Alliance's network of teachers;
(2)	Develop a North Carolina Geographic Alliance web site on Learning Link in cooperation with UNC‑TV;
(3)	Increase the number of geography/Standard Course of Study in‑service workshops conducted by professional geographers and Alliance teachers at local education agencies;
(4)	Continue to offer summer institutes on various campuses of The University of North Carolina System stressing geography standards and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study;
(5)	Continue to send North Carolina teachers for training at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C.;
(6)	Expand the readership of the Alliance's newsletter to more of North Carolina's geography teachers and administrators;
(7)	Continue to publish geography‑based curriculum materials specific to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study;
(8)	Increase advisory interaction between professional geographers with the North Carolina Board of Education with regard to the role of geography in the curriculum; and
(9)	Increase involvement of public school teachers with the North Carolina Geographic Alliance, and thereby improve geography instruction and promote global awareness and international understanding among the State's students.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the 2001‑2002 fiscal year to establish a North Carolina geography education endowment. The proceeds from the endowment shall be used to fund the activities of the North Carolina Geographic Alliance, which are set out in Section 1 of this act.  These funds shall be matched on the basis of one dollar ($1.00) of non‑State funds for every two dollars ($2.00) of State funds.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2001.