Rep. Sauls files bill in North Carolina House to adjust community college funding

A new bill filed by State Rep. John Sauls seeks to ensure that student numbers from Harnett and Chatham Health Sciences Centers are counted with their main campuses for funding purposes, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 346 on March 10 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Central Carolina CC MCC FTE Calculation.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that the State Board of Community Colleges include the full-time equivalent student numbers from the Harnett and Chatham Health Sciences Centers in the calculations for the main campuses of Central Carolina Community College. By combining these student numbers, both the Harnett and Chatham Main Campuses will be able to maintain the multicampus center status for funding and resource allocation. This adjustment ensures that the student bodies of these Health Sciences Centers are considered integral to their respective main campuses. The bill becomes effective upon enactment.

Sauls proposed another two bills during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Sauls, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2017 to represent the state’s 51st House district, replacing previous state representative Brad Salmon.