Democrats and their left-leaning allies offered the same criticism they have over every state budget Republicans have proposed over the last decade, beginning with their first budget after voters handed the GOP control of the General Assembly in 2010. Democrats say, as they have time and time again, that the GOP is not spending enough...
For the first time in state history, the governor is introducing a budget proposal in August. The fiscal year is already under way, but North Carolina’s budget is almost two years old. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, wants to spend $25 billion on a slew of ambitious priorities — from expanding Medicaid to increasing unemployment...
Gov. Roy Cooper’s first state budget proposal would expand government spending too much and emphasize some of the wrong budget priorities. Despite some positive elements, including the decision not to seek any tax increases, Cooper’s plan should get careful scrutiny as it heads to the N.C. General Assembly. That’s the initial assessment from the John...
The N.C. House on Wednesday gave its initial approval to the state’s $22.2 billion General Fund budget that includes a middle-class tax break along with a modest boost in salaries for state employees and teachers. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 103-12, with every Republican and 30 Democrats backing the budget. Final approval...
Lee Roberts, outgoing director of the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management, assesses North Carolina’s fiscal picture for the 2016 calendar year. Roberts offered these comments during an interview for Carolina Journal Radio (Program No. 662).
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses objections to North Carolina’s government-run state lottery. Kokai offered these comments for a Jan. 11, 2016, report on Time Warner Cable News.
The state’s General Fund expenditures have risen 10 percent since 2010. But the state’s economy has grown at a faster rate.
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, responds to Gov. Pat McCrory’s 2015 year-end video, in which the governor touts education spending increases. Kokai offered these comments for a Jan. 1, 2016, report on WTVD (ABC 11).
Lee Roberts, director of the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management, describes benefits of Gov. Pat McCrory’s Project Phoenix, a program designed to identify unused and underused state government properties that can be returned to the private sector. Roberts offered these comments during a Dec. 8, 2015, speech for the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury...
Becki Gray, John Locke Foundation vice president for outreach, praises the N.C. General Assembly for its fiscal restraint in the 2015 legislative session. Gray offered these comments during an Oct. 26, 2015, speech for the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society. To watch full-length presentations of JLF events, click here.
Becki Gray on conservative wins in budget; Haley Barbour on Katrina impact on Mississippi; Gov. McCrory on concealed-carry permits for National Guard; George Leef on push to use college endowments to lower tuition; Terry Stoops charter growth & challenges
