RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – North Carolina lawmakers have been at odds over spending priorities in the state for more than a year. On Tuesday, a state budget was finally released. The 634-page document includes raises for all state employees, including teachers and law enforcement. It’s the largest spending plan in state history at more than $34 billion.
“Our state’s fiscal health remains in great shape,” state Senate leader Phil Berger wrote in a news release announcing the deal.
The General Assembly is aiming to approve the plan this week. State Representative Zack Hawkins, a Democrat, told ABC11, “State employees know that they’re not going to get rich. But we need to make sure that they have a strong and respectable payscale, and bonuses that keep up with inflation.”
Hawkins also spoke specifically about teachers. “We really want to make sure that there’s an opportunity to keep and retain teachers who have been teaching for 10, 15, and 25 years.”
North Carolina is the only state that hasn’t passed a comprehensive budget for the fiscal year that ends today.