BRADENTON, Fla. - Nearly three months after the 2016 fiscal year began, the North Carolina General Assembly completed work on the biennial state budget.
The House gave the final approval to the spending plan - $21.7 billion for fiscal 2016 and $21.9 billion for 2017 - just after midnight on Sept. 18.
Gov. Pat McCrory signed the budget the same day, before a third continuing resolution expired. The fiscal year began July 1.
"The budget submitted to me by the General Assembly includes many of the goals and ideas we put forward to provide the tools North Carolina needs to continue what we have accomplished during the past three years," McCrory said in a release. "Now we can work together to implement a common-sense vision for our great state that includes job creation, education, healthcare, and transportation."
McCrory said his priorities that were fulfilled by lawmakers included full funding for teacher assistant positions, an increase in the annual starting pay for teachers to $35,000 from $33,000, eliminating transfers from the highway fund to the general fund to ensure that the money is spent on roads and infrastructure, and increased support for mental health services.
The governor also thanked legislators for approving an income tax rate cut for another year, while the North Carolina Justice Center decried the move saying it would reduce state revenue for schools and public health programs.
McCrory told WRAL that he expected the Legislature to spend the week after approving the budget finalizing work on his $2.86 billion Connect North Carolina general obligation bond plan.
House Bill 943, authorizing the 40-year bonds for infrastructure and transportation projects, passed the House on Aug. 6. It was sent to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
