The North Carolina General Assembly begins its annual work session Wednesday with some spending leeway and a limited number of pressing issues to address ahead of key elections this fall and the retirement of longtime state leaders.
In the wake of a landmark 2023 session that includes measures to expand Medicaid, limit abortion, expand gun rights, increase subsidies for private schools and weaken the governorship, Republicans leading the House and Senate We’re talking about making the traditionally “short” session just that. It will be finished by early summer.
North Carolina Gov. Cooper vetoes two more bills, but budget remains on track for passage Tuesday
“We addressed a number of significant issues,” House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland County, told reporters recently. “Are there still some things left to do? Yes, I’ll take care of them.”
With all 170 seats in Congress up for re-election in November and Republicans, who approved last year’s bill, holding a slim veto-proof majority, party leaders are trying to gauge public opinion against their candidates in key constituencies. They will be careful to proceed with unwavering measures. Legislation could require local sheriffs to assist with federal immigration enforcement and set aside more funding for private school scholarships.
In even-numbered years, Congress’s main task is to adjust the second year of the already enacted two-year government operating budget.
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore walks the floor, May 16, 2023, Raleigh, North Carolina The North Carolina General Assembly begins its annual work session on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, with little spending leeway. There are a limited number of urgent issues. He will speak before a key election this fall and the retirement of a longtime state government leader. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Consensus projections from the Legislature and the administration of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper say the state will collect $1.4 billion more by mid-2025 than previously expected. That compares with the $30.9 billion currently scheduled to be spent in the fiscal year starting July 1.
Forsyth County Rep. Donnie Lambeth, the House budget director, said this week that Medicaid spending adjustments could cost up to $400 million due to lower federal spending and increased use of services by enrollees. said.
And Moore and Senate Majority Leader Paul Newton said their Republican colleagues are planning to extend subsidies to more high-income families this fall for their K-12 children to attend private or religious schools. He said separately that he stands ready to make more money available for the Opportunity Scholarship Program. school.
Current budget law removes income limits for the program, and the number of applications has increased sixfold this year.
But state officials who run the program say there isn’t enough to help all eligible applicants, and the aid won’t reach the highest-income groups. It’s not clear whether Republicans will seek to fully fund scholarships next year, and Moore said an additional $300 million may be needed.
Still, “I think it’s more likely that parents who want options will be able to give them options for their children,” said Newton, a Cabarrus County Republican.
Cooper, who is term-limited and cannot run for re-election, is also expected to submit his final budget proposal on Wednesday. Cooper said Republican lawmakers heeded his calls to end spending on the Opportunity Scholarship Program, which he has long opposed until public schools are “fully funded,” and for teachers to receive big raises. I hope you will give it a try.
“We need to invest in our public schools,” Cooper recently told reporters. “We know that to sustain our future workforce with all these jobs we are attracting, we need to really strengthen our public schools.”
On immigration, Newton said the House approved a bill last year that would require the Senate to consider a bill that would require sheriffs to assist federal agents interested in picking up prison inmates who are believed to be in the country illegally. He expressed his doubts. Cooper successfully vetoed similar bills in 2019 and 2022, when Republicans lacked a supermajority.
Approval of the state budget nearly stalled last year when Senate Republicans tried to include language that would allow four more casinos to be built in the state and to sanction and regulate video gambling machines throughout the state. But Republicans in both chambers have indicated that discussions about sanctions on gambling machines could resurface.
General Assembly staff estimated last year that revenue from the machines could exceed $400 million annually by the second half of this year. This could help offset revenue losses currently projected due to further reductions in approved personal and corporate income tax rates. Republicans have downplayed discussions about long-term funding shortfalls as hasty.
Democratic lawmakers seeking to block what they see as bad Republican legislation will face the same challenge that began last April when Rep. Tricia Cotham changed her registration to Republican. Her switch secured veto-proof majorities in both chambers. All of Cooper’s vetoes from last year have been overridden.
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“The numbers are what they say,” said House Minority Leader Robert Reeves, a Chatham County Democrat. “I can still count and I know the Republican caucus will vote 100% with me.”
This short session will also be the last for Moore, who is likely to take office in 2025 after leading Congress for a record five two-year terms. He easily won the primary in the Republican-leaning 14th Congressional District.
