Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, used Gov. Roy Cooper’s own words to urge him to sign a $23 billion General Fund budget, reminding him the N.C. Constitution gives more power to the General Assembly than the executive branch. Flanked by large posters — one with…
Students ought to use their four years in Chapel Hill as basic building blocks for a lifetime of personal and professional growth as citizens and scholars.
Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislative leaders seemed to be discussing two different documents when they spoke to reporters this week about the General Assembly’s budget conference report. Cooper lashed out at legislative Republicans on Tuesday, calling their compromise $23 billion spending plan possibly “the most fiscally irresponsible budget I…
The $23 billion House and Senate budget compromise will include a 3.1 percent increase in spending in the 2017-18 budget year, which is higher than the two chambers agreed to several months ago when budget writing began. (Committee report here. Table of Contents for Senate Bill 527 here.
After President Trump announced plans to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper joined more than 1,000 public officials across the country in signing an open letter pledging continued support for the agreement. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes Cooper’s action and the…
The number of state employees and retirees purchasing Medicare Advantage plans might rise from 111,000 to 130,000 in the coming year, but they are facing as much as a 26 percent increase in their premiums. That was the message from state Treasurer Dale Folwell on Tuesday during his monthly “Ask…
A bill was introduced in the state legislature to shift control of the state’s apprenticeship program from the Department of Commerce to the community college system. The goal is to streamline the program and make it more aligned with some of the colleges’ workforce development initiatives. The program, “ApprenticeshipNC,” has…
Alternatives to the traditional four-year university are getting the attention of the General Assembly. The House and Senate have set aside serious funding for workforce development programs. Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget mentioned apprenticeship programs as well but didn’t put up as much money. Lawmakers made commitments to specific programs, while the governor’s…
While teacher salaries generally dominate employee benefit discussions during budget debates, other state employees stand to receive higher pay. But the House, Senate, and Gov. Roy Cooper all have different notions about how much to increase compensation. Cooper’s budget includes an across-the-board salary increase of 2 percent or $800, whichever is higher.
The tough work on the state budget has just begun. The House early Friday morning passed Senate Bill 257, a $45.7 billion General Fund budget for the next two years. It spends nearly $350 million more than the Senate version of the General Fund budget passed three weeks ago.
