The N.C. House and Senate will be voting on a nearly $30 billion state budget for the next two fiscal years on Thursday and Friday, N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland, Rutherford) and N.C. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Rockingham) announced Tuesday evening.
The first fiscal year for the budget began on July 1, and the delay in passing the budget caused a delay in Medicaid expansion and coverage for about 600,000 North Carolinians. With the passage of the budget, the implementation process will begin for Medicaid expansion.
Moore said a provision on casinos — which had partially caused the delay because of disagreement among the Republican supermajority — was not included in the budget package. Berger said he does not see the Senate voting on casinos "in the coming weeks."
"Emotion got the better of the discussion [on casinos], and it was time for us to get the other things taken care of," Berger said.
Both Moore and Berger said they did not anticipate any Republicans voting against the budget tomorrow.
A draft of the proposed budget includes both pay raises — including 7 percent for most teachers — and gradual tax cuts, as well as the expansion of eligibility for private school vouchers. It also allocates more than $385 million to UNC for academic affairs in this fiscal year and $346 million for next fiscal year.
