When North Carolina legislators reconvene in Raleigh this month, their focus will be on reconciling the nearly $1 billion hole in the state budget. But, JLF’s Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies, Daren Bakst, says they may also take up the Public Municipal Campaigns bill. If passed and signed into law, the bill could force taxpayers to help fund the election campaigns of candidates they oppose. Bakst explains his concerns with the bill and the mindset that puts all taxpayers on the hook for campaign efforts best left to those who desire to run for office. Then we turn to the $1 billion budget hole. Gov. Beverly Perdue contends her budget proposal would slash $1 billion from state spending while preserving funds for core government services. You’ll hear highlights from Perdue’s initial presentation of her budget plan, along with reaction from Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation director of health and fiscal policy studies. Coletti responds that Perdue’s plan is not as fiscally conservative as advertised. Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth, one of the Senate’s chief budget writers, and N.C. House Minority Leader Paul Stam, R-Wake, will offer their own assessments. Yet another fiscal challenge faces lawmakers this year. The state’s unclaimed property fund, known as the Escheat Fund, is running into trouble. State lawmakers have been dipping into the fund to help fund college scholarships, but they learned in a recent legislative briefing that they’ve been dipping too deeply. You’ll hear a discussion about seeking alternative funding sources for college aid. That’s followed by a look at the quality of textbooks used in K-12 public schools. More than a decade ago, a visiting faculty member at N.C.