NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1973 SESSION
CHAPTER 619
HOUSE BILL 1114
AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE NORTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1973.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. Short Title. This act shall be known and cited as the "Environmental Education and Information Act of 1973".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Purpose. The purpose of this act shall be to encourage, promote, and support the development of programs, facilities, and materials for the purpose of environmental education in North Carolina.
Sec. 3. Creation. There is hereby created a North Carolina Environmental Education and Information Program (hereinafter referred to as "Program") within the Department of Administration.
Sec. 4. Powers and Duties of Secretary. The powers and duties of the Secretary, or his designee, shall be as follows:
(1) Coordinate, through technical assistance and staff support, the various agencies, institutions, and citizens involved in the planning and implementation of a statewide program of environmental education;
(2) Be responsible for the allocation of funds for, but not necessarily limited to, such matters as the purchase of educational equipment, materials and supplies; the construction or modification of facilities; and the employment of consultants and other personnel necessary to carry out the provisions of this act;
(3) Act as a liaison between the Executive branch of government and established groups with statewide environmental concern so as to encourage understanding of and engender support of governmental planning and policy in the area of environmental quality;
(4) Encourage coordination between the various State and federal agencies, citizens groups, and the business and industrial community, in the dissemination of environmental information and education.
(5) Utilize existing programs, educational materials, or facilities, both public and private, wherever feasible;
(6) Seek the advice and assistance of the Advisory Council, created pursuant to Section 5 of this act, in gathering information on all existing programs, educational materials and facilities; and
(7) Address his activity toward the environmental problems and priorities established by the North Carolina Council on State Goals and Policies.
Sec. 5. Advisory Council and Fiscal Review Board, (a) There is hereby created an Advisory Council to advise and assist the Secretary, or his designee, in carrying out the provisions of this act. The Advisory Council shall consist of seven members, appointed as follows:
(1) The Governor shall appoint five members: Two to represent the business and industrial community of the State; two to represent civic groups of the State; and one to represent local elected and appointed governmental officials.
(2) The Board of Governors, University of North Carolina, shall appoint one member.
(3) The North Carolina Board of Education shall appoint one member.
(b) There is hereby created a Fiscal Review Board (hereinafter referred to as "Board") which shall determine annually how the funds appropriated under this act shall be allocated and expended pursuant to Section 4 of this act. The Board shall consist of five members, appointed as follows: One member shall be selected by the State Board of Education; two members shall be selected by the Secretary; and two members shall be selected by the Governor. No member of the Board may have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any qualifying institution, as defined in this act. All members of the Board prior to selection shall have demonstrated an interest in environmental education and information dissemination. The members of the Board shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
(c) The Secretary shall sit as an ex officio member of the Board but shall have a vote only in the event of a tie vote on the matter of allocation of funds.
(d) Both the Advisory Council and the Board shall submit an annual report to the Governor for transmittal to the General Assembly. Each report shall set forth with such specificity the respective activities of the Advisory Council and Board in order that the General Assembly may properly evaluate the success of the Program, and the desirability of its continuance.
(e) Membership on the Advisory Council or the Board is hereby declared to be an office which may be held concurrently with other elective or appointive offices in addition to the maximum number of offices permitted to be held by one person under G.S. 128-1.1.
Sec. 6. Grants. The objective of grants made under the provisions of this act shall be to promote the further development of local and regional environmental education and information dissemination to aid especially, but not limited to, school-age children.
(1) Capital Improvement Grants. Applications for capital improvement grants will be awarded on a 50-50 matching basis to qualifying institutions. Applications will be received and evaluated by the Board, which shall have the final say as to which projects will be funded. All capital improvement grants may not exceed a total of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).
(2) Grants for Staff, Equipment and Supplies. Applications for funding of staff positions, equipment and supplies shall be submitted to the Secretary for the approval of the Board. No one grant may exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The grant monies may be disbursed directly to a local school administrative unit that is acting jointly with a local institution or said monies may be disbursed directly to the applicant.
Sec. 7. Definitions. For the purposes of this act:
(1) "Environmental" means those principles drawn from the natural and social sciences which seek to explain the interaction of the human and nonhuman ecology.
(2) "Qualifying Institution" means a nonprofit institution, publicly or privately owned, which makes available to the general public educational and informational materials, programs and services intended to further the understanding of environmental concepts as exemplified in the natural sciences, and the social sciences.
(3) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department of Administration.
Sec. 8. Appropriation. There is hereby appropriated, in addition to all other appropriations, the sum of ninety-five thousand dollars ($95,000) for the fiscal year 1973-74 to the Department of Administration to carry out the provisions of this act.
Sec. 9. This act shall become effective on July 1, 1973, and shall remain in effect until June 30, 1974. Those funds which are not allocated by June 30, 1974, and expended by September 1, 1974, shall be returned to the General Fund of the State.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 18th day of May, 1973.