News

Many fights, few wins in Cooper’s first legislative session

When Roy Cooper was elected governor of North Carolina, he faced an uphill battle to fulfill any of his campaign promises. Republicans held a supermajority in the General Assembly, essentially taking away Cooper’s veto power — his main form of leverage. Then in a special session before Cooper was inaugurated, legislators passed several measures further limiting Cooper’s power. They removed the governor’s ability to appoint a majority to...

Lindsay Marchello
News

Folwell will push pension solvency plan with Senate leaders

State Treasurer Dale Folwell hopes the General Assembly will build on its recent boost in the state’s Rainy Day Fund with a plan to make state pensions and health benefits more solvent. House Bill 651 would reduce tens of billions of dollars in long-term debt by creating an Unfunded Liability Solvency Reserve fund. The measure passed...

Dan Way
Opinion

Another no-drama budget cycle

North Carolinians had much to celebrate over the Independence Day weekend. Unlike residents of, say, New Jersey. Even though the Garden State had no budget in place, Jerseyites saw Gov. Chris Christie luxuriate on a public beach that was closed to, well, the public. Unless you were the governor — who has a state-owned residence near...

Rick Henderson
News

With House vote to override veto, state budget becomes law

Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, gave an impassioned defense of the $23 billion bipartisan General Fund budget compromise Wednesday morning, and the House quickly followed his motion to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the spending plan in a 76-43 vote. It was an anticipated defeat for Cooper, a Democrat, whose last-minute, desperation plea for Republicans...

Dan Way
News

UPDATE: Legislature overrides Cooper’s budget veto

UPDATE: The N.C. House voted, 76-43, Wednesday morning to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s state budget veto. Democrats William Brisson and Ken Goodman joined all House Republicans to support the override. Additional details will follow. A last-minute plea from Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake, for new budget negotiations fell on deaf ears. The Senate voted...

Dan Way
News

Cooper will veto budget

At a Monday news conference, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced he would veto the state budget. “This budget shortchanges our state at a time it doesn’t need it,” Cooper said, surrounded by teachers at the Executive Mansion. The governor continued calling the $23 billion General Fund budget for the next fiscal year “irresponsible,” highlighting its...

Dan Way

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News

Using governor’s own words, legislative leaders urge Cooper to sign budget

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 quotes by Cooper citing his...

Dan Way
News

Budget could go to governor as early as Thursday

After more than three hours of debate, on Wednesday the state House passed the budget conference report for 2017-19 by an initial margin of 77-40, five votes more than needed to override a potential veto by Gov. Roy Cooper. The House is set on Thursday to give the compromise budget a final vote. The Senate passed the...

CJ Staff
News

‘Raise the age’ provision part of House-Senate budget deal

RALEIGH — The General Assembly’s compromise budget plan funds House Bill 280, which would raise the age of many juvenile offenders from 16 to 18. The General Assembly has allocated $1 million to implement the plan, and $13.4 million to build a new juvenile detention facility. The N.C. Department of Public Safety would dispense the money over...

Kari Travis
News

Cooper, legislators offer wildly divergent views of same budget

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 have seen.” The Democratic governor...

Dan Way
News

Budget compromise: 3.1 percent spending increase, most tax cuts in 2019

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. Text of Senate Bill 527 here.) Senate...

Dan Way
News

Budget-paring tool would save N.C. taxpayers $455 million next year

North Carolina legislators could save taxpayers another $455 million in the next budget year. They would meet that target by using a tool called consensus-based budgeting. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report offers details. JLF is releasing its report as N.C. House and Senate budget negotiators work out final details of their two-year General...

CJ Staff
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