(The Center Square) – Another quiet week on Jones Street is expected, with no legislative action planned as lawmakers continue negotiations on a past-due budget that has progress on other measures at a standstill.
Both chambers of the General Assembly convened briefly on Monday without action, marking the start of the fourth week without votes or committee hearings in the long session.
Chief among them is the state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are in agreement on spending $60.7 billion over the coming biennium, or about $6 billion less than what Gov. Roy Cooper proposed, but differences remain among Republican leaders on the specifics.
Senate President Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said they’ve agreed to spending for raises and bonuses for teachers and state employees, as well as a tax package and money for savings.
Budget committee chairmen from both chambers are meeting this week to review about 100 remaining items and spending projects, Moore told the media last week.
The state Department of Health and Human Services says it can move forward with an Oct. 1 launch for Medicaid expansion that Republican lawmakers tied to Cooper’s signature on the budget if the budget is signed by Sept. 1. There is no certainty for when either chamber will vote on the spending plan.
Cooper is pressuring lawmakers to decouple Medicaid expansion from the budget, but Moore said that will not happen.
Other unfinished business includes six bills awaiting veto overrides. Among the most controversial are House Bill 808 to prohibit gender transition surgeries and drugs for children; the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, protecting college and high school sports for females; and a Parents’ Bill of Rights.
Moore said he expects to vote on the overrides when lawmakers return next week, but signaled budget votes would likely come later. Berger says the upper chamber will wait to vote on the overrides after the House acts.
Significant legislation unresolved, among others, includes measures to expand vouchers through the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program; liberalize the state’s strict Alcohol and Beverage Control regulations; and improve public confidence in elections.
A proposal to authorize up to four casinos in rural areas of North Carolina hinges on budget deliberations, as well, with significant impacts on state revenue. The proposal is estimated to generate as many as 3,000 jobs and more than $100 million in state gaming tax collections at each location. It faces public backlash at one proposed site in Rockingham County.
Berger said casino expansion has enough support to clear the Senate, but Moore said Republicans in the House haven’t yet vetted the proposal. Berger signaled an intent to include the move in the budget if chamber leaders can agree on the details in the coming weeks.
