NC Lawmakers Unveil $34 Billion Budget With 3% Raises and $700 Million Helene Aid
Updated
Updated · WUNC · Jul 1
NC Lawmakers Unveil $34 Billion Budget With 3% Raises and $700 Million Helene Aid
3 articles · Updated · WUNC · Jul 1
Summary
$34 billion in spending was released a year late, with House and Senate votes planned this week to send the budget to Gov. Josh Stein by late Thursday.
Most state workers would get 3% raises plus $1,000 or $1,750 bonuses, teachers would average about 8% raises, and personal income tax cuts would be slowed—falling from 3.99% to 3.49% in 2027-2029.
$700 million in new Helene recovery money headlines the add-ons, alongside $1 billion for Medicaid cost increases, $450 million for the Rainy Day Fund and $208 million for a UNC-Duke children's hospital in Apex.
The bill also adds new tolls on currently free coastal ferries, eliminates vacant state positions and folds in policy changes from vape-shop age limits to license-plate readers and child-welfare rules.
SEANC criticized the plan as lagging inflation and cutting workforce capacity, underscoring lingering opposition even after Republicans ended their yearlong budget standoff.