Kinston, N.C. –  Senator Jim Perry, (R- Craven, Beaufort, Lenoir) Majority Whip of the North Carolina Senate, is a primary sponsor of legislation to require three hours of instruction in American History or American Government for graduation from the Universities in the UNC System and North Carolina Community Colleges.

“Our public universities should provide each student with an understanding of these foundational documents which shaped the birth of our nation. Average North Carolinians provide billions of dollars to fund our public university system and the system belongs to them. The general assembly chooses to delegate a great deal of decision making to the Board of Governors and chancellors. We also have the ability to make some of the decisions. I believe we should join the eight other states who have this requirement.”

The North Carolina Reclaiming College Education on America’s Constitutional Heritage Act 
(NC REACH ACT) would require students to complete an American History or American Government course which requires them to read the following documents: The Constitution of the United States, The Declaration of Independence, The Emancipation Proclamation, at least five essays from the Federalist Papers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s letter from a Birmingham Jail, and the Gettysburg Address. A final exam covering these topics must comprise at least 20% of the students final exam.

The legislation (Senate Bill 114) also provides for removal of a chancellor of a constituent institution for willful neglect or failure to comply with this law over more than one academic year.

“The North Carolina General Assembly used the peoples tax dollars to create those universities. North Carolina taxpayers should absolutely have a say in what goes on in the universities they fund. This requirement only represents about 2.5% of a 120 hour bachelors program. The NCGA is not absorbing primary responsibility for curriculum. ”


Perry serves as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He also serves on the following committees: Commerce and Insurance, Health Care, Redistricting and Elections, and Rules and Operations of the Senate.