The North Carolina General Assembly raced Wednesday to advance legislation before completing its chief working session for the year — even as lawmakers know they could return later this summer to settle unfinished business.
The Senate and House are roughly $300 million apart on how much to spend over the next 12 months, with the House seeking to spend the higher amount. A great deal of the House's extra spending would raise state employee and teacher pay above what the current second year of the budget already directs. The Senate wants to stick to the second-year raises — an average 3% raise for teachers and 3% across the board for employees.
The competing plans do agree on spending $487 million for programs that provide money to K-12 students to attend private schools or receive other services. The money would remove waiting lists for two programs. The House and Senate budget bills also back spending $135 million for child care center grants that will no longer be provided by the federal government starting next month.
With hopes dim for a broad agreement by week's end, House Republicans advanced a separate bill Wednesday that would allocate $67 million for the child care grants for the next six months. The Senate would have to agree, too.
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