A new bill filed by State Sen. Paul A. Lowe Jr. seeks to support capital improvements at North Carolina’s private Historically Black Colleges and Universities, according to the North Carolina State Senate.
The bill, filed as SB 367 on March 20 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Capital Project Funding at HBCUs.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill allocates $8 million in nonrecurring funds from the Education Lottery Fund for the 2025-26 fiscal year to support new and ongoing campus capital improvement projects at North Carolina’s private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), specifically Bennett College, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College, and Shaw University. The distribution of funds will be proportional to the number of undergraduate students who are North Carolina residents and recipients of federal Pell Grants at each institution. The act is effective July 1, 2025.
Of the two sponsors of this bill, Lowe proposed the most bills (16) 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.
Lowe graduated from Bishop College in 1985 with a BA and again from Drew University School of Theology with a DMIN.
Lowe, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2015 to represent the state’s 32nd Senate district, replacing previous state senator Earline Parmon.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. and Gladys A. Robinson | SB 367 | 03/20/2025 | Capital Project Funding at HBCUs. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr., Caleb Theodros, and Gladys A. Robinson | SB 343 | 03/19/2025 | Secure Home, Secure Future Act. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr., Dan Blue, and Gale Adcock | SB 297 | 03/17/2025 | Nursing Fellows & Curric. Support Funds/WSSU. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. and Gladys A. Robinson | SB 301 | 03/17/2025 | Film and Entertainment Grant Fund Mods. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr., Benton G. Sawrey, and Eddie D. Settle | SB 317 | 03/17/2025 | Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. and Gladys A. Robinson | SB 283 | 03/13/2025 | Expand Sickle Cell Disease Programs & Svcs. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. and Dana Jones | SB 241 | 03/05/2025 | Funds for Smith Reynolds Airport MRO Hangar. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr., Gladys A. Robinson, and Michael Garrett | SB 243 | 03/05/2025 | Commuter Rail Study/Piedmont Triad. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 196 | 02/27/2025 | Winston-Salem/Forsyth Co. Planning & Zoning. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 197 | 02/27/2025 | Funds for Smith Reynolds Airport MRO Hangar. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr., Mujtaba A. Mohammed, and Val Applewhite | SB 211 | 02/27/2025 | Reenact the Earned Income Tax Credit. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 184 | 02/26/2025 | System Development Fees/Exemption. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 185 | 02/26/2025 | Restore Down-Zoning/Forsyth Co. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 186 | 02/26/2025 | Funds for Ladder Truck for WS Fire Station 19. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 187 | 02/26/2025 | 32nd Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
| Paul A. Lowe, Jr. | SB 189 | 02/26/2025 | Winston-Salem Civil Service Board. |
