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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republican leaders in the General Assembly tentatively agreed Monday to a stopgap measure that dictates how North Carolina's government should keep spending as budget negotiations go into overtime.
The House voted 107-1 on Monday night for legislation that lays out funding and spending for when the new fiscal year begins Wednesday without a new two-year plan in place.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration Tuesday. Sen. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, co-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said before the House vote that Senate GOP leaders support the proposal.
The arrangement gives the chambers about 45 days to work out a final budget deal and get it to Gov. Pat McCrory's desk, although it's possible more time could be needed given the broad differences in their competing plans approved previously.
The "continuing resolution" largely keeps government funding at current levels, save for areas where the chambers have already agreed to identical cuts in their budget measures.
The bill raises the minimum teacher salary from $33,000 to $35,000, in keeping with promises made by McCrory and legislative leaders, but no other teacher pay raises were granted for now. It does spend $100 million more to pay for expected public school enrollment growth so that lawmakers can hire teachers and staff in August.
"The school districts will have the money that they need when they start school," said Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake, senior co-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
The measure would expire at midnight Aug. 14. Brown said he would have preferred a tighter deadline, because "it just forces you get to things done."
McCrory said in an open letter Monday to General Assembly members he preferred a plan that would last 30 days. But it's doubtful two extra weeks would prove a stumbling block to his signing the stop-gap measure.
House Republicans suggested last week that the temporary spending measure be extended through the end of September.
"The longer we go without a budget, the greater the uncertainty for businesses, individuals and local governments across North Carolina," McCrory wrote.
Dollar told colleagues the stop-gap measure doesn't prevent districts from hiring teacher's assistants if they choose. Still, the House and Senate budgets remain about $300 million apart on levels of funding for assistants. The Senate wants to shift funds over the next two years to hire more teachers in kindergarten through third grade.
Local school districts also were directed to keep offering driver's education classes to teenage students and charging fees of up to $65 to defray costs. The budgets by the two chambers disagree on how driver's ed should continue.
McCrory's letter also reiterated to lawmakers where he stood on pending differences in the House and Senate budget negotiations and his own differences with legislative leaders. McCrory kept pressing for economic incentive changes and legislative support for statewide bond referenda, which he wants on the ballot this fall.
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