A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish the joint legislative committee on consolidation of state scholarships and to allocate funds appropriated to the general assembly to implement the study.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is created the Joint Legislative Study Committee on Consolidation of State Scholarships. The Committee shall consist of 10 members. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint five members, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint five members.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall each appoint a cochair for the Committee. The Committee may meet at any time upon the joint call of the cochairs. Vacancies on the Committee shall be filled by the same appointing authority as made the initial appointment.
The Committee, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all powers provided for under G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4. The Committee may contract for professional, clerical, or consultant services as provided by G.S. 120‑32.02.
Subject to the approval of the Legislative Services Commission, the Committee may meet in the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. The Legislative Services Commission, through the Legislative Services Officer, shall assign professional staff to assist the Committee in its work. The House of Representatives' and the Senate's Director of Legislative Assistants shall assign clerical staff to the Committee, and the expenses relating to the clerical employees shall be borne by the Committee. Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel expenses at the rates set forth in G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate.
SECTION 2.  The Committee shall study the feasibility of consolidating the scholarships available for students who attend any of the institutions of higher education that are part of The University of North Carolina.  More specifically, the Committee shall consider consolidating those scholarships categorized as income‑base scholarships and consolidating those scholarships categorized as merit based scholarships.  In its study the Committee shall review the qualifications of each scholarship, the purpose for which the scholarship is awarded, and any other criteria that makes the scholarship either similar to other scholarships in the same category or that makes the scholarship unique from others in its category.  The Committee shall also consider marketing strategies for the scholarships and how to make the information regarding those scholarships more transparent, understandable, and accessible to the general public and to the students who may be interested in applying for the scholarships.  In addition, the Committee may consider any other issues relevant to this study.
SECTION 3.  The Committee may make an interim report, including any legislative recommendations, to the 2009 General Assembly, 2010 Regular Session, and shall submit a final report, including any legislative recommendations, to the 2011 General Assembly.  The Committee shall terminate upon filing its final report or upon the convening of the 2011 General Assembly, whichever is earlier.
SECTION 4.  From the funds available to the General Assembly, the Legislative Services Commission may allocate monies to fund the work of the Committee.
SECTION 5.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2009.