NC House Speaker Tim Moore presides over Wednesday’s budget debate. (Photo: NCGA video stream)
Republicans in the state House were hit from all sides Wednesday as they gave preliminary approval to their $31.7 billion budget proposal.
Their House Democratic colleagues condemned the budget for proposing to spend about $500 million on private school vouchers — money they said could be better used to increase public school teacher pay, give more help to childcare centers that are floundering as pandemic-era federal support dries up, or provide emergency funding to the State Employee Health Plan.
Shortly after the House nudged its budget along with a 73-36 vote, Senate Republicans released their own proposed budget, which does not include some of the new spending House Republicans want.
The budget showdown will land at the Legislative Building on Thursday morning. The House is scheduled to take a final vote on its budget and the Senate is set to hold a committee hearing on its proposal.
State employees and teachers will see significant differences in the two GOP budget proposals. While the House added a bit more to the teacher and state employee raises already set to begin July 1, the Senate did not.
The Senate proposal does not have the 2% one-time bonus for government retirees that the House included.
At a Senate committee meeting Wednesday, New Hanover Republican Sen. Mike Lee said the chances of the House budget getting through the legislature were “slim to none.”
The House and Senate must agree on a budget before it goes to Gov. Roy Cooper. Republicans in both chambers want more money for private school vouchers. Cooper, a Democrat, has repeatedly criticized voucher spending.
Rep. Jeffrey Elmore said the people were promised private school vouchers, and the House budget delivers. (Photo: NCGA video stream)
Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, urging support for the budget, said House members shouldn’t pass up the chance to give bigger raises and offer retiree bonuses.
“You have to look at what’s in front of you and what you have the opportunity to do,” he said. “Our neighboring chamber wants to do nothing.”
Rep. Jimmy Dixon, a Duplin County Republican, pronounced the House budget “magnificent.”
Four Democrats voted with all Republicans to approve the budget.
But most House Democrats were against it, with several focusing their criticism on the increased spending on private school vouchers.
Applications for vouchers exploded after the legislature lifted the household income cap last year to allow even the wealthiest families to qualify for tuition subsidies for private schools.
Republicans want to ensure that every family who wants vouchers will have them.
“These people are expecting it because we promised,” Elmore said.
House Democrats said handing out money for vouchers is not right when the state has so many other needs.
Rep. Julie von Haefen said the House budget represents a choice to give millions to private schools while allowing low-paid educators in child care centers to lose their jobs. (Photo: NCGA video stream)
“This is not a budget bill,” said Rep. Lindsey Prather, a Buncombe County Democrat. “This is a taxpayer-funded private school voucher bill.”
Rather than spend money on vouchers, the state needs to raise pay to attract and retain teachers, she said.
The House budget includes $135 million for childcare subsidies to partially fill a $300 million gap left by the sunsetting federal support.
The $135 million is not enough to help childcare centers, said Rep. Julie von Haefen, a Wake County Democrat. Now that the federal grants are ending, “they have several horrible choices,” she said. Their choices are to cut staff salaries, raise fees on parents, or close.
Rep. Wesley Harris, a Charlotte Democrat, criticized the budget for failing to provide emergency funding to the State Employee Health Plan and for offering the 2% bonus to retirees as only a temporary increase.
“A one-time bonus does not do it,” he said. “It has to be permanent.”
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