RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on the North Carolina General Assembly debating and voting on state government budget adjustments for the coming year (all times local):
4:10 p.m.
North Carolina budget adjustments by the General Assembly are now just one vote away from Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk now that the House has given initial approval to the plan negotiated by Republicans.
The House voted 72-45 on Thursday following more than five hours of debate on the $23.9 billion spending plan. Earlier Thursday, the Senate completed its voting on the measure. The final House vote is expected Friday.
Cooper hasn’t said what he’ll do with the budget bill, but House Democrats said proposals by the governor would have provided more revenues for education, toughened gun laws and expanded Medicaid coverage. Republicans say their measure spends reasonably and gives big average raises for teachers and low-income state workers.
The House debate was particularly acrimonious, starting when the two parties sparred over the GOP’s decision to hammer out the budget in secret and prevent any amendments.
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1:05 p.m.
A North Carolina Republican lawmaker wants an apology from Democrats after the state’s longest-serving legislator said this week a “rape” of the state budget was happening because GOP leaders did not allow Democrats to take part in creating the measure.
Republican Rep. Holly Grange of Wilmington demanded the apology on the House floor Thursday. She interrupted the lawmaker who made the comment, Democratic Rep. Mickey Michaux of Durham, as he began debating the budget. Grange didn’t identify Michaux by name but called the words a “repulsive low.”
At a news conference Tuesday, Michaux said “we have seen a rape of this budget, and I’m having problems right now trying to reconcile whether I’m in in North Carolina or North Korea.”
Michaux didn’t refer to any apology as he resumed speaking Thursday and says “sometimes it takes strong words to make people realize what’s happening to them.”
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9:30 a.m.
The North Carolina Senate has quickly completed its part approving state government budget adjustments for the next fiscal year.
Senators voted 36-14 Thursday for the nearly $24 billion spending plan after essentially no debate. They talked for about 90 minutes Wednesday before the Republican-led chamber gave the plan initial approval with an identical nearly party-line vote.
The House scheduled debate and votes later Thursday and Friday. Once that’s all done, the measure will go to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. He vetoed the two-year budget in 2017, but the GOP majorities overrode the veto.
Republicans are highlighting hefty average pay raises for teachers, troopers, correctional officers and otherwise lower-income state employees. Democrats say the GOP could have given more to teachers and for school safety upgrades but the party keeps diverting revenues to pay for tax cuts for corporations and the highest wage-earners.
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3:05 a.m.
Republican adjustments to next year’s North Carolina state budget remain on course to wind up on Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk as soon as the end of the week.
Both the House and Senate scheduled debate and votes Thursday on the nearly $24 billion plan altering the second year of the two-year budget approved last year. The Senate already gave tentative approval to the changes Wednesday on a nearly party-line vote. The House will stick around until Friday to complete its debate.
Cooper hasn’t said publicly what he’ll do with the bill, but the Democrat has criticized GOP leaders for failing to accept his ideas on blocking tax breaks and how to raise teacher pay and improve school safety. He vetoed the two-year measure last year, but Republicans quickly overrode it.
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