State Sen. Bob Brinson has introduced a bill in the North Carolina Senate to restore and broaden scholarship access for children of wartime veterans, the North Carolina State Senate reports.
Introduced as SB 816 on April 21 during the 2025 regular session, the measure carries the short title: ‘Child. of Wartime Vets Sch’ship Funds & Flex.’
The summary below is based on the official bill text, with clarifying interpretation of some provisions.
The legislation allocates $1 million in one-time state funds for 2025-26 to fully restore Children of Wartime Veterans scholarship awards to their original maximums. If funds remain, further scholarships would be granted beginning in 2026-27. The bill allows the secretary of veterans affairs to double new Class II and III scholarship awards to 200 recipients each in 2026-27, supported by $10 million in ongoing escheat funds starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year, effective July 1, 2026. Additionally, it maintains temporary program flexibility for how applicants are prioritized, how award amounts are set, use of lotteries or proration, and carrying forward unspent funds through the 2026-27 academic year.
Among the three sponsors backing this legislation, Tom McInnis was the most active, submitting 26 bills in the 2025 regular session.
North Carolina legislation must follow a multi-step process to become law. A bill is filed by a lawmaker and assigned to a committee for consideration. The proposal must be read three times in both chambers. If the chambers pass different versions, both must agree to a single final draft. Once the same version passes both houses, it goes to the governor, who then has 10 days (or 30 days if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without a signature.
Brinson earned his BA from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1991.
Brinson, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2025 and now represents the 3rd Senate district, succeeding former state senator Robert Hanig.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Brinson, Carl Ford, and Tom McInnis | SB 816 | 04/21/2026 | Child. of Wartime Vets Sch’ship Funds & Flex. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 803 | 04/21/2026 | Beaufort Dist. B Occupancy Tax. |
| Bob Brinson, Buck Newton, and Warren Daniel | SB 670 | 03/25/2025 | Drones/Certain Vendor Purchases Prohibited. |
| Bob Brinson, Bobby Hanig, and Timothy D. Moffitt | SB 394 | 03/24/2025 | Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land. |
| Bob Brinson, Gale Adcock, and Mark Hollo | SB 430 | 03/24/2025 | Revise Child Passenger Restraint System Law. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 356 | 03/20/2025 | Global Transpark Authority Sales Tax Mods. |
| Bob Brinson, Bobby Hanig, and Todd Johnson | SB 276 | 03/12/2025 | Study Residual Property Market Mechanisms. |
| Bob Brinson, Buck Newton, and Michael A. Lazzara | SB 245 | 03/05/2025 | The Rakim Shackleford Embalming Fluid Act. |
| Bob Brinson and Buck Newton | SB 228 | 03/04/2025 | Disabled Veterans Tax Relief Bill. |
| Bob Brinson, Amy S. Galey, and Kevin Corbin | SB 229 | 03/04/2025 | Authorize NIL Agency Contracts. |
| Bob Brinson, Dana Jones, and Jim Burgin | SB 31 | 01/30/2025 | The Wells Act. |
| Bob Brinson | SB 8 | 01/29/2025 | 3rd Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
