State lawmakers want to give the N.C. General Assembly's police department an additional $2.5 million to address threats to legislators throughout North Carolina.
The funding is part of the latest "mini-budget" legislators are passing amid an impasse between the House and Senate over a larger spending plan. The 17-page spending bill doesn't resolve any of the larger issues around state employee raises, tax cuts or Medicaid funding, but it does make minor allocations toward things like Helene recovery, ferry funding and higher education.
Senate leader Phil Berger said the legislative police funding stems from security concerns at public events. He pointed to a recent town hall-style event held by Rep. Carla Cunningham, D-Mecklenburg, who'd received threats over her support for an immigration bill. The N.C. General Assembly Police Department has jurisdiction throughout the state, and legislators can request that they provide additional security even when they're outside Raleigh.
"We just wanted to make sure that the General Assembly police had adequate resources," he told reporters. "From time to time, we get those kinds of requests, and I think it's just important for us to make sure we've got resources to be able to respond to that."
The police funding allocation has bipartisan support, and legislators of both parties say they've received threats. "It's definitely necessary, so long as it is dispersed to both Democratic and Republican colleagues who were threatened," Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch said. "In the past, the legislature has not always provided support."
Sen. Kandie Smith, D-Pitt, said the Legislative Black Caucus recently requested a legislative police presence for their visit to western North Carolina, but officers weren't provided.
The mini-budget bill doesn't include law enforcement funding included in other budget proposals. Earlier this week, Gov. Josh Stein called on the legislature to fund his $195 million proposal for public safety, which includes law enforcement raises.
What else is in the mini-budget?
Ferry funding: The bill includes $7 million for the state's ferry operations. Community leaders on Ocracoke Island and the Outer Banks have been voicing concerns that the budget stalemate could result in cuts to ferry schedules, and fewer ferry trips would harm the local tourism economy. A spokesperson for Berger said the ferry funding will help prevent service cuts.
Tuition hike: The bill would increase out-of-state tuition at public universities in the "NC Promise" low tuition program from $2,500 to $3,500 per semester. The change would affect incoming students at Elizabeth City State University, UNC Pembroke, Fayetteville State University and Western Carolina University, and in-state tuition would remain at $500 per semester. Berger said the increase was requested by UNC System leaders who are seeing a financial strain from higher-than-expected enrollment. The NC Promise program is facing a multimillion-dollar deficit.
Property sale: The bill includes a mandate that the state Department of Administration sell or lease the former Rex Hospital property at the corner of Wade Avenue and St. Mary's Street in Raleigh by 2027, moving state offices off the site as part of a redevelopment agreement. Batch questioned why Democrats representing Wake County weren't consulted about the property's future. Another property mandate in the bill calls for the sale of a small vacant lot between the Longleaf Hotel and the southern end of Capital Boulevard in downtown Raleigh.
Helene recovery: Helene-related provisions in the bill would extend repayment deadlines for a small business "bridge" loan program administered by the Golden LEAF Foundation. And the bill would extend development approvals for construction projects that were impacted by the storm.
What's not in the mini-budget?
The House and Senate aren't including funding they approved separately last month to fully fund the Medicaid program. That's resulting in cuts to medical provider reimbursements and coverage for popular weight-loss drugs.
Also unresolved: Pay raises for teachers and state employees. Berger said those will only come as part of a full budget agreement. And he indicated he's not optimistic about that happening soon, given a continued disagreement over the fate of scheduled income tax cuts.
This week's mini-budget "could be it before the short session" next spring, Berger said, adding that he doesn't expect lawmakers to return to Raleigh for votes in November or December unless there's a breakthrough in budget negotiations.
Democrats criticized the inaction, and Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake, tried to force a vote on Medicaid funding through a procedure known as a "discharge petition." Republicans ruled the petition effort invalid.
Batch also voiced pessimism about the future budget prospects. "We do not have any hope, in any way, to think that we're going to have a budget," she said. "Not here, not November when we're supposed to return, and certainly not until after the primary. Even then, it is questionable.
"The Republicans in the House and the Republicans in the Senate cannot sit down and work out a deal. It is all on them."
