A Budget We Can All Agree On

This week we took a major step forward by working together and completing a bipartisan budget. This is the product of countless hours of hard work and cooperation. The budget will move on to the Governor's office for her to sign it. There are many reasons why this budget is good for North Carolina and why Governor Purdue should support it, but here are just a few.


1.   It keeps her promise to end a nearly $1 billion sales tax hike. Gov. Perdue vowed two years ago to end the “temporary” tax hike. Our budget keeps her word.


2.      It closes a $2.5 billion budget shortfall. The balanced budget fulfills our constitutional mandate to balance the state’s checkbook.

3.      It fuels job growth. Ending the sales tax hike and providing a $50,000 tax exemption for businesses will return billions to the pockets of North Carolina citizens and businesses and help the private sector create thousands of new jobs, according to leading economists.


4.      It fully funds classroom teachers and teaching assistants. The governor’s chief objection to original House and Senate budgets was reduced spending for teaching assistants. This budget restores that funding – without raising taxes.


5.      It reforms public education. Instead of blindly throwing money at education and accepting graduation rates ranked No. 43 in the nation, our budget makes several improvements to public schools:

a.       It adds more than 1,100 additional teachers to grades 1 through 3 to begin reducing class sizes.

b.      It implements a performance pay program for teachers and state employees.

c.       It ensures students can read at grade level by fourth grade.

d.      It adds five days to the school calendar.

6.      The governor’s budget saddles counties with many expenses that ours does not. For example, our budget:

a.       Funds $56 million in school bus replacement.

b.      Provides more than $50 million additional dollars for school construction.

c.       Fully funds enrollment growth for K-12 and community colleges for the next two years and for universities in the first year of the biennium.

d.      Does not make millions in workers’ compensation and lawsuit costs local responsibilities.

    

      7.      It right-sizes state government. The governor says she’s serious about reshaping state government to make it smaller and more efficient. Our budget cuts more than $1 billion from last year’s spending level by consolidating and cutting waste and bureaucracy.

      8.      It extends unemployment benefits. More than 37,000 North Carolinians will retroactively receive unemployment benefits if our budget becomes law.

      9.      It adds millions to reserve accounts. The state’s Rainy Day and Repair and Renovation accounts are funded by millions more than the governor’s plan – clearly displaying the state’s fiscal prudence.

     10.  It’s a compromise. The legislature is meeting the governor more than halfway.  She should compromise.  North Carolinians deserve elected officials willing to reach across the aisle to get the job done. 

Annexation Reform for NC

For years, involuntary annexation has been a lightning rod in the halls of the General Assembly. Voices on both sides of the issue have fought for years with no substantive legislation on the issue. When Republicans won control of the North Carolina House, we committed ourselves to enacting meaningful annexation reform for the first time in recent memory. Over the past several weeks, House leaders have met with cities, towns, property owners, and various individuals with interests on both sides of the annexation issue. All stakeholders had a voice in the process that yielded HB 845, sponsored by Rep. Stephen LaRoque, undoubtedly the most comprehensive annexation reform legislation in recent history.

The bill was necessary to curb what has become, in some instances, a practice of aggressive forced annexation against the will of affected property owners. House Bill 845 stipulates, among other proposals, that municipalities will be required to cease any annexation attempt for 3 years if 60% of the affected property owners oppose the annexation. The bill represents a historic compromise on an issue that has been defined by controversy for over a decade. It passed overwhelmingly on the House floor, garnering 107 votes on the third reading. Such a bipartisan vote is a monumental victory, and I salute Rep. LaRoque and the House members who supported this important compromise legislation.

A Budget North Carolina Can Be Proud Of

The North Carolina House took the bold action of passing a budget that is fiscally responsible and economically sustainable. The House budget contains one of the largest tax cuts in North Carolina history, providing over a billion dollars in tax relief to the private sector. It reduces state spending in a common-sense way, and responsibly shrinks the scope of government. 

Many people have contacted me expressing concerns about how this budget will affect the teachers of North Carolina. As a former teacher myself, I recognize the vital role our teachers play in shaping the brilliant minds of the future, and they deserve our support at every level. Our budget fully funds every K-12 teaching position in the state.

Now, it's on to the Senate and then the Governor.

Rep. Jeff Collins

NC House District 25