Update: On Aug. 6, the House approved the bond bill described below by a vote of 76-29. It now goes to the Senate. The House amended the bill to move the date of the election to March 2016.
The Senate will likely make changes to the bond package.
On Aug. 5, the N.C. House voted 70-39 in an initial vote on the bond package.
Leaders in the North Carolina House introduced legislation for a proposed $2.85 billion statewide bond package, including $90 million for a new science building at UNC Charlotte. The House proposal calls for a November 2015 ballot measure.
Rep. Dean Arp, who earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering at UNC Charlotte in 1999, was the chief architect of the bond package. The bill first passed out of the House Finance Committee and a vote is expected in the full House in the next week.
"We are pleased that Gov. Pat McCrory and the House leadership have proposed a bond package that includes the science building at UNC Charlotte," said Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. "Leaders have recognized the role UNC Charlotte plays in the North Carolina economy and the importance of a new science facility.
“We look forward to working with the Senate as this bond package moves through the process and appreciate their support for investing in higher education.”
Lorden noted that UNC Charlotte accounts for 46 percent of enrollment growth in the entire UNC system in recent years.
“We're seeing a strong demand for sciences among our students, with more than 50 percent of students who have declared majors pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees," she said.
Other UNC system campuses also are included among the bond measure’s projects, which total $974 million, up from $500 million in projects in the governor’s original proposal.