House Bill 661 Summary

• Permits qualified youth ages 15 and older to enroll in fire training courses at North Carolina community colleges, including certification-eligible courses, effective January 1, 2021.

• Reduces the minimum age requirement for beer and wine wholesaler salesmen from 21 to 18 years old.

• Temporarily allows 15-year-old workers to be employed in certain establishments affected by labor shortages until December 31, 2023, by modifying youth employment restrictions in the Wage and Hour Act.

• Streamlines community college capital project oversight by authorizing the State Board of Community Colleges to delegate projects costing $4,000,000 or less and establishing a procedure for the Department of Administration to assist upon request.

• Clarifies that the Department of Information Technology may allocate up to 3% of initial federal B.E.A.D. broadband grant funds for planning and up to 2% for administrative purposes under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.