Lawmakers in the state House and Senate are busy negotiating over a budget.
It's July 19th and state legislators know the clock is ticking. They're traditionally expected to come out with a budget for North Carolina by July first, when the new fiscal year starts.
But a difference in vision between the House and Senate and their leaders has held up the process. Senate President Phil Berger and Speaker of the House Thom Tillis recently denied things were chilly between them. But that was at a press conference right after they had finally agreed on a tax reform package, along with the governor.
The tax cuts in that package are expected to leave the state with $500 million less revenue through mid-2015. That's why people are expecting the state's proposed budget agreement to make big cuts, especially to education.
A copy of the final agreement is expected to be released Sunday night.