In the absence of a comprehensive budget, the North Carolina House on Wednesday approved state employee and teacher raises and funding for a handful of agency projects.
The Senate, however, probably won’t vote on the House-written mini-budgets before legislators begin their multi-week break on Thursday.
“I think it’s unlikely that it’s something that we will take up or have time to take up,” Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters Wednesday.
“We haven’t had conversations as to the contents of that bill, and if the idea is you’re going to send something over the day before we’re adjourning and haven’t had conversations with us and have some agreement or understanding as to what’s in there, I don’t think that’s a serious effort to do anything,” he said.
The legislature will recess without having passed a new comprehensive budget to begin the fiscal year that starts July 1. House and Senate Republicans have not been able to bridge their considerable differences over spending and future taxation.
Under state law, government operations will continue into the next fiscal year without a new budget, based on previously approved spending. But new government projects and raises for teachers and state employees remain in limbo. Legislators are discussing returning to Raleigh for a few days of work each month, if they have things to do.
Senate Democrats criticized Republicans, who control both chambers, for failing to pass a budget. Approving a budget is the General Assembly’s main job.
Senate Democratic leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) said legislators should not be going home without passing budget.
“Literally, lives are hanging in the balance,” she said. “Agencies need funding, and yet, we’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll just tap out,’ because the Republicans who control the House and Senate can’t sit down and talk.
“They need to be starting to put people over politics and they’re not doing that very well right now,” she said.
Both the Senate and House have passed stop-gap budgets intended to fund a few projects leaders determined need new or extra funding beginning July 1. House Speaker Destin Hall said Tuesday his chamber would not consider the Senate proposal.
House Republicans countered with two measures. These are the House-written bills Berger said the Senate is unlikely to consider.
One House-written bill included provisions approved in the House version of a comprehensive budget during the spring that would give teachers average raises of 6.4% and state employees 2.5% raises. The bill would also cut state jobs by 20% across agencies. It passed the House on Wednesday 94-19.
A separate bill with 11 items that Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), a House budget writer, called “must do’s before we adjourn this week” passed 77-32.
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Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( No new spending plan for NC before the new budget year, and probably no limited agreement either )
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