House Bill 1142 would expand North Carolina’s quantum computing education pipeline by funding STEM programs in public schools, creating a new grant program for partnerships between high schools and higher education institutions, and offering a tax credit to certain businesses that support student learning experiences. The bill is framed as an economic development, education, and national security measure, with findings emphasizing quantum computing as an emerging technology important to defense, innovation, and workforce development.
In the K-12 portion, the bill appropriates $2.6 million in nonrecurring General Fund money for fiscal year 2026-27 to the Department of Public Instruction to support STEM programs that prepare students for quantum-related apprenticeships, internships, degree programs, or jobs. Most of that funding would be distributed to public school units in areas containing military bases or installations, with additional set-asides for Durham, Orange, and Wake county schools. The funds could be used for STEM teacher hiring or stipends, partnerships with businesses and higher education institutions, and specialized summer programs, and the Department would have to report on spending, participation, and outcomes.
The bill also creates the Quantum Computing Grant Program at the North Carolina Collaboratory, funded with a $200,000 appropriation to UNC’s Board of Governors for grants of up to $50,000 each. Eligible higher education institutions could partner with eligible high schools, including public schools and Department of Defense schools in North Carolina, to provide hands-on learning, mentorship, internships, and research opportunities tied to quantum computing and related emerging technologies. The bill requires reporting on grant awards, participating schools and institutions, and the program’s impact on student success.
Finally, HB1142 adds a new income tax credit for businesses in the defense, technology, computing, cybersecurity, or quantum sectors that incur qualifying expenses supporting collaborative or experiential learning with North Carolina high school students. The credit would equal eligible expenses up to $100,000 per taxpayer, with a statewide cap of $10 million per year, and businesses would need to apply to the Department of Revenue on a first-come, first-served basis. The bill would also require annual reporting on applications and credits claimed.
Because there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided context, there is no documented public debate or recorded sentiment beyond the bill’s own pro-innovation framing. The bill appears generally supportive of STEM education, military-connected communities, and industry partnerships, but likely could raise questions about the targeted distribution of funds, the use of tax credits, and whether the benefits are concentrated in certain regions or sectors. No specific opposition is documented in the materials provided.
HB1142 would amend North Carolina law by creating new appropriations for public school STEM programming, establishing a grant program administered by the North Carolina Collaboratory, and adding a new corporate income tax credit in Chapter 105 for qualifying businesses. It would affect the Department of Public Instruction, the UNC Board of Governors/Collaboratory, the Department of Revenue, public school units, Department of Defense schools, higher education institutions, and eligible businesses in defense, technology, computing, cybersecurity, and quantum-related industries. The bill also adds new reporting obligations to state agencies and creates a new tax expenditure subject to an annual statewide cap.
The bill’s text reflects a strongly positive, forward-looking sentiment centered on workforce development, innovation, and national security. It presents quantum computing education as a strategic investment for students, military communities, and the state’s technology economy. No committee discussion or votes are available, so there is no recorded bipartisan or partisan debate to summarize; based on the bill language alone, the measure is framed as broadly beneficial and development-oriented.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or voting history. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill’s structure, could include the concentration of school funding in military-base areas and selected counties, the use of public funds for a specialized technology field, and the creation of a tax credit that benefits a narrow set of industries and requires a first-come, first-served allocation process. Stakeholders likely to care most would include public school systems, military-connected communities, universities, the Collaboratory, the Department of Revenue, and businesses in the quantum and defense technology sectors.