Cooper Urges Republicans to Reject Party's Budget Plans | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Kari Travis, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Governor says there's plenty of money to enact his agenda but GOP won't spend it

    RALEIGH - Gov. Roy Cooper is calling on rank-and-file Republicans to go toe-to-toe with legislative leaders in budget negotiations.

    The budget proposals are troubling, Cooper said, and the majority of state Republican lawmakers are worried the budget invests too little in education and workforce development.

    "I think a lot of them are frustrated, because [GOP leaders have] put these artificial restraints on themselves, preventing [lawmakers] from providing the kind of investment that our state needs in education and jobs," Cooper said in a news conference Monday. "And I think there is a lot of frustration with rank-and-file Republicans that they can't do more, that they don't have enough say-so in the budget process."

    Cooper said he's ready to haggle over priorities.

    Teacher pay, early childhood education, and investing in community colleges and the University of North Carolina system top Cooper's list of concerns. He expressed worry over a lack of money for rural infrastructure, and said legislators should increase salaries and benefit packages for state employees and retirees even more.

    The governor's General Fund budget would spend $500 million more than the House or Senate in the fiscal year starting July 1.

    The money is available, but lawmakers aren't willing to spend it, he said.

• "Be fiscally responsible. Put money in the rainy day fund, like we have. Don't increase taxes on people, like we have proposed. But take the time to put a teacher salary schedule together that will help us be No. 1 in the Southeast in three years and at the national average in five."

    The governor's budget would raise teacher salaries a total of 10 percent over the next two years. House and Senate plans propose increases of about 9.5 percent over the same time.

    Cooper's plan provides state employees an $800 increase each year over the biennium. The Senate budget raises salaries by $750. The House proposal outspends the other two budget plans with increases of $1,000 per employee, per year over the next two years.

    Cooper's budget gives retirees a 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment. The House proposed a 1.6 percent boost in funds. The Senate offered no retiree bonus.

    As for community colleges and workforce development, legislators want to do a study to determine the cost of workforce training courses and to evaluate the Apprenticeship program. The House proposed $200,000 - and the Senate $98,000 - to fund the research. Cooper's budget offers no funding.

    Both the House and Senate budgets included money to pay start-up costs for workforce training programs. The governor's budget did not.

    Lawmakers should invest more in North Carolina's future, Cooper said.

    "We'll have to see what happens. I do believe there is a scenario where the final budget could be significantly better than either one of the House or Senate budget. And I will continue to work and to hold out that hope that that might happen."