Under the Dome: The House budget, at a glance

Stephanie Loder
·4 min read

Good morning! ☀️ House Republicans released their 271-page budget Monday night. All of its proposals are subject to negotiations with the Senate GOP that are currently at an impasse, but a few things stand out.

▪ An additional 1% raise for most state workers on top of the 3% they’re already slated to receive. Correctional officers would get an additional 9%.

▪ An average 4.4% raise for teachers, including what’s already planned (and including step increases for longevity.) Raises would be much larger for newer teachers than for those with the most experience; the starting teacher salary would rise to $44,000.

▪ Additional pay for teachers with masters’ degrees.

▪ A one-time 2% bonus for retired state employees.

▪ $250 million for Opportunity Scholarships, the school voucher program.

▪ $135 million for child care centers.

Read much more from Kyle Ingram, T. Keung Hui and the whole politics team here. The budget is set to go through committees on Tuesday with votes Wednesday and Thursday.

Here’s what else you need to know about North Carolina politics today, from our team and correspondent Stephanie Loder.

N&O INVESTIGATIVE REPORT GOES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OF NC LEGISLATURE

How much does the public know about what the state legislature is doing?

Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers, and more power for them has meant less transparency, making it more difficult to track what they are doing.

A News & Observer investigative report titled Power & Secrecy takes an in-depth look into the two trends and focuses on the state budget.

Here are some of the budget-related matters that reporters uncovered or highlighted in the series:

  • $100 million added last year by state budget writers to a contingency account for transportation projects. Critics have called the account a slush fund.

  • Two times in the last six years, House and Senate leaders skipped the usual process of coming up with their own, separate budget proposals. They eliminated any chance for debate or amendments by inserting budget bills with $30 billion in spending and new policy into unrelated bills that had already passed.

  • EmitBio, which has connections to House Speaker Tim Moore, was given $6 million in one of those budgets in 2022 to develop a device to fight COVID-19. Last year, state lawmakers gave EmitBio another $20 million in the state budget, funding proposed first in a House budget bill.

  • GOP legislators use special provisions in the budget limiting environmental regulators and allowing themselves to have more power over regulations. The state’s most recent budget shows three examples of the General Assembly limiting actions that would have provided environmental protection.

  • A provision added to last year’s state budget exempts state lawmakers from public records laws. The N&O was provided with only two documents in response to a records request related to EmitBio spending.

Get the full story from Dan Kane and Adam Wagner here.

WHAT’S SO SECRET ABOUT $12.5 MILLION SEX ABUSE CLAIMS PAYOUT?

Why did the UNC System and the UNC School of the Arts agree earlier this year to pay $12.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by 65 former students over allegations they were exploited and abused by teachers for decades?

It’s difficult to say exactly why. State lawmakers took action last year to make sure the public won’t find out about justifications by the state attorney general’s office for that payout or other settlements by public agencies.

Buried in last year’s 600-page budget was language included by lawmakers that repealed the state’s three-year limit for attorney-client privilege.

The provision allows public agencies to keep secret any records regarding spending millions of dollars that they don’t want to divulge.

Get the full story from Tyler Dukes and Virginia Bridges here.

NO RECREATIONAL NC FLOUNDER SEASON FOR 2024

There will be no recreational season for Southern flounder fishing in North Carolina this year, affecting some of the more than 1 million people who fish for fun each year.

The ban is the first since the state started managing the Southern flounder fishery in 2019 after studies showed the flounder was being overfished. The state’s goal is to set limits and make the fishery sustainable.

The state reported that recreational fishermen last year exceeded their quota, making it unlikely there would be enough flounder to allow recreational fishing. It’s anticipated that commercial fishermen will be able to catch Southern flounder this fall, but biologists continue to assess the fishery.

Get the full story from Martha Quillin here.

That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.

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