North Carolina Senate Majority Leader Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) speaks during a press conference on Senate Republicans' budget proposal on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)
The North Carolina Senate’s budget proposal includes sweeping cuts to mostly vacant state jobs, but also eliminates some entire offices along with employee positions.
In all, the budget eliminates 850 vacant jobs over two years, leaving more than 14,000 open jobs.
The Senate budget committee reviewed its budget proposal Tuesday, putting the $32.6 billion plan on track for approval by the end of the week.
The state House will draw up its own budget. The chambers then compromise on a budget that will go to Gov. Josh Stein.
Republican senators found millions in savings by eliminating jobs. Budget writers said they looked to cut jobs that have been vacant for months or years.
“We have this money that’s been sitting there,” said Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson). So they decided to “take the money and put it to use somewhere else.”
State agency leaders for years have stressed their inability to fill jobs featuring salaries that are not competitive with the private sector.
Sen. Val Applewhite (D-Cumberland) questioned making wholesale jobs cuts without a study to determine whether agencies need the positions and just haven’t been able to fill them.
“These numbers sound arbitrary,” she said. “How have we identified what the appropriate number is to do the work?” she said later. “How were the cuts made? Was it random, or was it a workload issue?”
It’s also difficult for job seekers to apply for state jobs.
Staci Meyer, director of the Office of State Human Resources, told legislators this year that state hiring practices need to be modernized.
The Senate budget proposal includes a provision allowing job applicants to upload resumes or website profiles, with the information to be imported into state job application forms.
The provision also makes it easier for state agencies to make temporary employees permanent.
Waiting for a new DMV commissioner and audit
The budget establishes a new nine-member Board of Motor Vehicles that would appoint the DMV commissioner. As it is now, the state Secretary of Transportation appoints the commissioner. DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced in February that he would not reapply for the job.
The DMV has come under fire as residents wait months for appointments.
State Auditor David Boliek is auditing the agency.
Senate Republicans overseeing the transportation budget have written about modernizing DMV services.
The state has invested in the DMV over the years but hasn’t seen improvements, said Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell).
Legislators hope to have the audit results in hand before the budget is finalized, she said. They’ll be more comfortable providing DMV with more money when a new commissioner is appointed and the audit is complete.
“We have invested in the DMV over and over and over again,” she said. “They are a rudderless ship.”
Offices and filled jobs eliminated
The budget eliminates the Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses which helps women- and minority-owned businesses compete for state contracts.
Sen. Gladys Robinson (D-Guilford) questioned eliminating the office. “I have the data to support what they’ve done,” she said.
The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission would be eliminated. The commission was established in a 2006 law on the suggestion of former Republican Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake, Jr.
The commission has received 3,826 claims of innocence from people convicted of crimes since 2007, which resulted in 15 exonerations, according to its most recent annual report.
Sen. Danny Britt (R-Robeson) said other organizations do the same work at no cost to the state. He named the NC Center on Actual Innocence as one of them.
The budget also eliminates the “certificate of need” requirement for health care facilities and equipment and gets rid of the state office that oversees it.
Senate Republicans have waged a years-long campaign to eliminate certificate of need laws. The Senate has also scheduled a separate bill eliminating certificate of need up for a floor vote Tuesday.
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