News

Where does North Carolina stand on the budget?

With more than three months into the new fiscal year, North Carolina still does not have a budget in place. Both the House and Senate have passed their versions but there is a new aspect of the process that hopefully, Gov. Roy Cooper will agree to so that a new budget will be passed by...

Theresa Opeka
Opinion

Tax Relief That Addresses Revenue Concerns Is Something North Carolina Lawmakers Have Done Before And Can Do Again

If state legislators can convince Gov. Roy Cooper to support the new budget, North Carolina will become the 13th state to enact a personal income tax cut this year, the third signed into law by a Democratic governor. That personal income tax cut is expected to be included in the new compromise budget currently being...

Patrick Gleason
Opinion

What is happening with our state budget 

The General Assembly convened Jan. 13 and has met for well over 100 days. More than 1,700 bills have been filed; bills on election reform, appropriating federal COVID money, energy modernization, medical marijuana, sports betting, constitutional amendments, education reforms, health care advancements, regulatory reforms, unemployment benefits, confirmations, and appointments — to name a few.  ...

Becki Gray
News

Collusive settlements by the attorney general prohibited in Senate budget

Ushered in, not by law, but by lawsuit settlement, North Carolina’s COVID-related changes to voting rules in 2020 are viewed as either a fix or a failure. Republican state senators are of the latter opinion, as evidenced by their inclusion of language prohibiting such “collusive settlements” by the attorney general in Senate Bill 105, slated...

Jeff Moore
Opinion

Takeaways from the Senate budget

This week the Senate leadership presented the chamber’s state budget proposal. After a day or two of social media reaction and topline numbers, it’s time for a real look at what this contains before it runs the legislative gauntlet. A theme runs through this budget: Fix what’s broken, maintain what we know is working, and...

Becki Gray

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News

N.C. Senate budget expands school choice, raises teacher pay

The N.C. Senate rolled out a budget proposal this week that would expand school choice across the state while raising teacher pay and seeking to remedy student learning losses due to closed classrooms because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is nothing flashy about this education budget, which is precisely what we have come to expect...

David N. Bass
News

Health care policy in focus in Senate budget proposal

There are the numbers associated with the biennial budget proposal from the N.C. Senate, of course, but, as with most budgets, the numbers are sometimes associated with policy initiatives wrapped into the spending plan. This budget cycle is no exception. With ‘Health and Human Services’ being one of the single largest budget outlays, health care...

Jeff Moore
News

Senate budget offers bonuses and raises for state employees, deeper tax cuts for all

In a press conference Monday afternoon, Republican state senators presented a state budget proposal they say is grounded in North Carolina’s strong fiscal position after a decade of prudent budgeting. The Senate proposes returning a portion of surplus revenues to taxpayers and advancing needed capital infrastructure projects in their version of the two-year budget. Senate...

Dallas Woodhouse
News

State Senate to propose 10-year, $12 billion alternative to bond package

State Senate leaders will propose spending $3 billion over the next two years on capital and infrastructure projects. That money is part of a larger 10-year, $12 billion “cash” plan tied to the Senate’s budget. Senators teased the capital plan as they announced a 2 p.m. Monday news briefing about their 2021-23 budget proposal. Senate...

CJ Staff
Opinion

Republicans cut a deal on state budget. Will key Democrats join, or block teacher raises again?

As state budget negotiations get down to the fine details, with an extra $6 billion in over-collected tax revenue on the table, Republicans are moving forward with another conservative spending plan to make key investments and return tax money back to those who earned it. It puts the minority party, legislative Democrats, in a tough...

Dallas Woodhouse
Opinion

State tax cut a must after citizens told to sacrifice

In the name of safety and at times part political theater, North Carolinians spent over a year following stringent emergency orders because of the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses shuttered, citizens lost their livelihood, millions eschewed social events or celebrations of any kind. Many young people are still hampered by mask mandates in schools. A silver lining...

Ray Nothstine