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Stein signs GOP-proposed NC budget, ushering in lower taxes and raises for state employees
WRAL • • nation
Key Points:
- North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed a $34 billion state budget, the first comprehensive spending plan in over 1,000 days, following a year-long negotiation marked by disputes over tax rates and funding priorities.
- The budget includes 3% raises for all state employees, with higher increases for teachers and law enforcement, and reduces the personal income tax rate from 3.99% to 3.49%, while also cutting over 1,000 state government positions.
- Democrats praised the pay raises but criticized provisions like the ban on the State Bar funding civil legal groups aiding low-income residents, and raised concerns about insufficient salary growth relative to inflation and staffing cuts.
- The plan allocates significant funds for major projects such as a new children’s hospital in Apex and UNC-Chapel Hill research on PFAS chemicals, while excluding funding for a potential Major League Baseball stadium in Raleigh.
- Republican leaders hailed the budget as historic for tax relief and employee raises, crediting it with continuing a decade of economic growth, whereas some Democrats called for further investment in public education and reversal of state employee cuts.
