Governor McCrory Discusses North Carolina's Growing Economy At Business And Economic Development Summit | Eastern NC Now

    Washington, D.C.     Governor Pat McCrory highlighted North Carolina's growing economy and how the state can work with federal partners to continue the growth at the 2016 North Carolina Business and Economic Development Summit in Washington, D.C. Hosted by U.S. Congressman Richard Hudson, who represents North Carolina's 8th congressional district, the governor addressed business leaders and touted improvements to the state's economy, education and infrastructure, as well as areas for potential future growth.

    "The Carolina Comeback is real. Since 2013, North Carolina has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, unemployment is at an eight-year low and more than 300,000 jobs have been added," Governor McCrory said. "I look forward to working with our federal partners to continue to make North Carolina the best state in the nation to live, work and visit."

    Prior to taking questions, Governor McCrory complemented federal lawmakers for addressing transportation funding in a bipartisan way and urged further long-term action to address North Carolina's growing transportation infrastructure needs. The governor also highlighted North Carolina's improving economy and discussed how federal overreach in areas including the environment, labor and energy could negatively impact small businesses in the state.

    Unemployment has decreased in all 100 North Carolina counties and is at an eight-year low, below the national average. Governor McCrory discussed how these results have been supported by efforts to cut taxes for families and businesses by $4.7 billion, while assuming a $430 million revenue surplus.

    To improve education, average teacher pay has been raised to $50,000. Funding for textbooks has tripled since 2013 and all classrooms are being connect to Wi-Fi. These investments have helped North Carolina achieve the best high school graduation rate in history.

    For higher education, Governor McCrory has implemented tuition freezes and capped fees to make college more affordable. The Connect NC bond will also invest $1.3 billion into North Carolina's universities and community colleges, among other areas including public safety, state parks and water infrastructure.

    To build on these investments, the governor cited manufacturing, agriculture and start-ups as areas for future growth. To support these areas, Governor McCrory created a food manufacturing task force and signed crowdfunding into law.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov