Could cash become king again at NC school athletic events? Here’s what lawmakers may do
North Carolina high schools and middle schools could be required to accept cash from people who want to use it to pay their way into athletic events.
The N.C. House K-12 Education Committee backed a bill Tuesday that would require cash to be accepted as one of the forms of payment for admission to school athletic events. Supporters said the legislation is needed because some schools only accept electronic payment to attend athletic events.
The bill was unanimously backed by the committee after lawmakers were assured that schools could continue to accept non-cash forms of payment.
A similar bill that only covered high school athletic events was passed by both the House and Senate in 2024. But it died after the House didn’t agree with unrelated items added to the bill by the Senate.
House Bill 2 was modified on Tuesday to expand it to include admission to middle school athletic events.
Wording was also added Tuesday saying schools may adopt a policy allowing any cash accepted to be deposited on the next business day.
The revised bill dropped wording that would have provided free admission to high school sports events for people who are age 60 and over who have a Senior Tarheel Athletic Card.
