News from Senator Todd Johnson | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    This week, absent Governor Cooper's signature, the NC General Assembly's 2023-24/2024-25 biennium budget recommendations became law. The NC General Assembly worked in good faith with Governor Cooper during budget negotiations. In the end, Governor Cooper knew the value of the investments NC's budget made, but still catered to hard-line obstructionists who will always find fault.

    "It's been over a decade since voters entrusted Republicans to manage the state's finances, and our formula of low taxes, responsible spending, and reasonable regulations works. This two-year budget carefully considers our state's past successes, our current needs, and the financial resources we have at our disposal," Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said. "It will make infrastructure in rural North Carolina more robust, return over a billion dollars to taxpayers hamstrung by failing Bidenomics, and put student outcomes and parental choice ahead of bureaucracy."

    Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson) said, "With this budget, we continue the conservative governance that has made North Carolina a state we can all be proud to live in. The sensible spending and healthy tax returns make for a strong, lean budget that doesn't break the bank. As the national economy remains fraught with uncertainty, we took a cautious approach to make sure that North Carolina is prepared for whatever may come."

    What does NC's budget provide for 2023-24/2024-25?

    You can find the bill text and money report online.


    The budget appropriates a total of $29.8 billion in FY 2023-24 and $30.9 billion in FY 2024-25. Additionally it grows the Rainy Day fund balance by $125 million to just under $5 billion.

    Taxes:

• Cuts taxes by $1.2 billion for North Carolina families and businesses over the next two years.
• Accelerates the scheduled personal income tax cuts, dropping the rate to 4.5% in 2024 and down to 2.4% if NC meets required revenue triggers.

    Education:

• Appropriates $17.3 billion for education in FY 2023-24, a 6.1% increase, and $17.9 billion in FY 2024-25, a 9.5% increase.
• Expands the Opportunity Scholarship Program to all students, with the largest scholarships going to students with the greatest financial needs.
• Savings realized by the state from students enrolling in a private school after receiving an Opportunity Scholarship will be reinvested back into the public school system.
• Provides an additional $1.2 million on a recurring basis for the Child Care Grant Program, which supports childcare services for students in the community college system.
• Provides $2 million nonrecurring in each year of the biennium for aid to students who are no track to graduate from public universities but are at risk of dropping out because of financial issues.
• Includes $35 million in both years of the biennium for school safety grants, which can be used for school safety training, safety equipment in schools and subsidizing the School Resource Officer Grants program.

    Salaries:

• Provides most state employees with a 7% pay raise across the biennium.
• Gives teachers an average pay raise of 7% over the biennium.
• Average teacher pay will increase to $60,671 by 2024-25, which is on par with the state median household income.
• Starting teacher pay will increase by 11%to $41,000 in FY 2024-25.
• Increases pay for beginning nursing faculty at community colleges and the UNC system by at least 10%.
• Most state law enforcement officers will receive between a 5.5% and 11% raise depending on their agency, rank and current pay scale in the first year.
• To support recruitment and retention efforts at the State Highway Patrol, rank-and-flie deputies will receive an 11% salary increase.
• Provides bus drivers a 6% pay increase in the first year of the biennium.
• Gives state retirees a 4% nonrecurring cost of living supplement in the first years of the biennium.

    Health Care:

• Budgets $1.6 billion in nonrecurring federal funds awarded to North Carolina for Medicaid expansion.
• Uses $40 million for targeted bonuses to employees working in state health facilities and $60 million to increase the wages of direct care workers who provide care services to individuals on the state's Innovations Waiver.
• Increases the autopsy fee paid to autopsy centers, includes $4 million over the biennium to increase the capacity of the Medical Examiner System, and $20 million over the biennium to fund a new county-operated autopsy center to serve the South Piedmont region.

    Capital/Infrastructure:

• Provides $2 billion for more than 200 local water and wastewater projects across the state.
• Budgets an additional $700 million for highway maintenance programs, including contract resurfacing, general maintenance and bridge construction and preservation.
• Replenishes the state agency repair and renovation accounts by $200 million each year of the biennium.

    Election Integrity:

• Provides $2.7 million to implement North Carolina's voter ID law.
• Provides $50,000 recurring to continue the online application to trail mail ballots through the postal system - thus ensuring greater confidence in North Carolina's absentee ballot system.
• Provides $5.6 million to modernize and replace the Statewide Election Information Management System

    You can find a more detailed budgetary breakdown here.

    As always, for any constituent needs we welcome serving you.


   Contact:
   Phone: 919-733-7659
   Email: todd.johnson@ncleg.gov.