H96 - NC REACH Act Summary

• Requires all University of North Carolina constituent institutions to mandate at least three credit hours of American history or American government instruction for baccalaureate degree graduation, effective 2024-2025 academic year.

• Requires all North Carolina community colleges to mandate at least three credit hours of American history or American government instruction for associate degree graduation, effective 2024-2025 academic year.

• Mandates that required courses include reading specific founding documents in their entirety: U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, five Federalist Papers essays, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail, Gettysburg Address, and North Carolina State Constitution.

• Requires a cumulative final exam comprising at least 20% of course grade that focuses substantially on the required documents, their authors' perspectives, and relevant historical contexts.

• Allows exemptions for students with passing Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge AICE, or dual enrollment course grades satisfying the same requirements; Board of Governors must report compliance to Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by November 15, 2024, and annually thereafter.