North Carolina Sen. Lee learning management system bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill sponsored by State Sen. Michael V. Lee aims to establish a competitive process for selecting a learning management system for North Carolina community colleges and aligns it with other state education systems, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

In the House, 46 Democrats and 67 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 15 Democrats and 28 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Lee filed the bill in the North Carolina Senate on Feb. 21 during the 2025 regular session.

The legislation, known as SB 133, was passed on June 17 during the 2025 regular session.

According to the North Carolina General Assembly site, the bill’s official text was formally listed with the short title: “NCCCS Learning Management System.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates the State Board of Community Colleges to conduct a competitive solicitation process to implement a learning management system (LMS) for all community colleges in North Carolina. The process must be completed by Dec. 31, 2025, and should consider alignment with the LMS used by the Department of Public Instruction and the University of North Carolina system. The State Board is also required to report the findings to relevant Senate and House Appropriations Committees by the same date. Additionally, it amends the law to include the Community Colleges System Office in entities exempted from certain provisions, allowing them to choose participation in the state’s information technology programs. The act is effective when it becomes law.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Michael V. Lee (Republican-7th District), Sen. Kevin Corbin (Republican-50th District), and Sen. Brad Overcash (Republican-43rd District).

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Lee graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1991 with a BA and again in 1997 from Wake Forest University Law School with a JD.

Lee, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 7th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Jim Perry.

Under North Carolina law, bills must receive three readings in each chamber. According to the UNC School of Government, once a bill “passes its constitutionally required second reading and moves to its constitutionally required third reading,” additional debate can occur, but the final stage is often treated as a formality. Unless a legislator requests a roll-call, the third reading may be approved by voice vote or unanimous consent without a separate recorded tally.