Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue has vetoed the state budget proposal authored by the Republican leadership in both the N.C. House of Representatives and Senate.
Perdue’s veto will likely be overridden by the necessary three-fifths majorities in both chambers and be written into law. Five Democrats voted for the budget bill in the House, while Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in the Senate.
The budget includes a cut in state funding of 14.6 percent or $407 million for UNC-system schools. Legislators have opted to cut spending rather than extend a temporary sales tax in measures to close a state budget shortfall of $2.4 billion.
System President Thomas Ross advised against supplemental tuition increases for universities to offset the cut at the Board of Governors meeting Thursday, citing the budget’s reduction of about $35 million for the system’s need-based financial aid program. A state budget must be approved by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
