North Carolina Democratic Governor Josh Stein is putting forward three budget proposals to the General Assembly ahead of lawmakers’ short session beginning April 21. His first proposal, presented recently, focuses on what he calls “critical needs” or priorities he wants funded immediately rather than waiting for a final state budget agreement.
Gov. Stein identified pay raises and Medicaid funding as the most urgent issues. However, state lawmakers have yet to act. Recent procedural sessions passed without movement in either the House or Senate, aside from the formation of a few study committees.
Legislators are scheduled to return briefly in early April for what is expected to be an uneventful session, before reconvening on April 21.
If lawmakers move forward with Stein’s proposed raises, he said they would be applied retroactively at the start of the fiscal year on July 1, 2025.
In an interview with The News & Observer, Stein said he hopes legislators will approve raises now and then revisit them during the short session, when “we can potentially expand those raises and make additional investments.”
Meanwhile, top Republican leaders, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall, remain firmly divided over tax policy, effectively stalling broader budget negotiations.
The lack of progress has drawn criticism from Democrats beyond Stein. House Minority Leader Robert Reives voiced frustration, saying that while delays may not concern Republican leadership in Raleigh, “for hard-working North Carolinians who are struggling to get by, it is another month of doing nothing.”
