§ 143-64.03.  Powers and duties of the State agency for surplus property.

(a) The State Surplus Property Agency is authorized and directed to:

(1) Sell all State owned supplies, materials, and equipment that are surplus, obsolete, or unused and sell all seized vehicles and other conveyances that the State Surplus Property Agency is authorized to sell;

(2) Warehouse such property; and

(3) Distribute such property to tax-supported or nonprofit tax-exempt organizations.

(b) The State Surplus Property Agency is authorized and empowered to act as a clearinghouse of information for agencies and private nonprofit tax-exempt organizations, to locate property available for acquisition from State agencies, to ascertain the terms and conditions under which the property may be obtained, to receive requests from agencies and private nonprofit tax-exempt organizations, and transmit all available information about the property, and to aid and assist the agencies and private nonprofit tax-exempt organizations in transactions for the acquisition of State surplus property. Prioritization should be given to distributing computer equipment to nonprofit entities that refurbish computers and donate them to low-income students or households in this State, the State Surplus Property Agency shall distribute the computer equipment at no cost or the lowest possible cost to the nonprofit entities and must give consideration to the counties where the computer equipment will be donated to ensure that all geographic regions of the State benefit from the distributions.

(b1) Nothing in this Article, or any administrative rules promulgated under this Article, shall be deemed to prohibit The University of North Carolina from conveying surplus computer equipment at no cost and The University of North Carolina is encouraged to prioritize distribution to nonprofit entities that refurbish computers to donate to low-income students or households in the State. Any conveyance to a nonprofit under this subsection shall be conditioned upon, and in consideration of, the nonprofit's promise to refurbish the computer equipment and its donation to low-income students or households in the State and the nonprofit's reporting of information required by this subsection. After an initial conveyance, The University of North Carolina shall not convey additional surplus computer equipment to a nonprofit, unless that nonprofit has reported the information required by this subsection for prior conveyances.

When making a distribution under this subsection, The University of North Carolina shall keep records on the type of computer equipment distributed, the number distributed, the name of the nonprofit that received the distributions, and the nonprofit's report on donations of refurbished computers to low-income students or households in the State. If the nonprofit is unable to refurbish computer equipment for any reason, its report shall include the disposition of such computer equipment. A nonprofit shall provide a report to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina by February 1, 2022, and by February 1 of each year thereafter. The report shall contain the information required by this subsection and any other information the Board of Governors deems reasonably necessary to ensure the conditions required under this subsection are satisfied. The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina shall submit a report containing the information required to be collected under this subsection to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 1, 2022, and by December 1 of each year thereafter.

(c) The State agency for surplus property, in the administration of Part 1 of this Article, shall cooperate to the fullest extent consistent with the provisions of Part 1 of this Article, with the departments or agencies of the State.

(d) The State agency for surplus property may sell or otherwise dispose of surplus property, including motor vehicles, through an electronic auction service. (1991, c. 358, s. 2; 2003-284, s. 18.6(a); 2015-241, s. 27.3(f); 2017-67, s. 1(b); 2021-180, s. 38.11(a).)