Berger, Tillis Urge Perdue to Sign Budget Adjustment | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: This communique was sent as press release from local NC House Rep. Bill Cook on this year's NC Fiscal Budget.

    Bill Cook: Well, here we are again waiting on the Governor to decide whether to veto the budget again. We have a good budget and the adjustments to our pervious budget are detailed below. If she vetoes this budget bill, we will try a veto override on Friday or maybe Monday. We have done it in the past and I think we can override her this time.

For Immediate Release:

    Raleigh, N.C. - Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) on Tuesday called for Gov. Beverly Perdue to sign a $20.2 billion budget adjustment that invests hundreds of millions of state dollars in public education, fixes serious problems in Medicaid, cuts the gas tax, and gives raises to teachers and state employees - without hiking taxes or incurring debt.

    The two-year budget enacted last year will remain in place if the governor vetoes the improvements the General Assembly made last week. North Carolinians will face serious consequences if she chooses to place politics ahead of the public interest. Among the worst consequences of failing to make second-year budget adjustments are:

    · $255 million in additional state funds will not go to public K-12 education. This includes $126.9 million to fill in the discretionary cut for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, $16.4 million in lottery funds, a $27 million education reform program to strengthen student literacy and improve graduation rates, and $85 million for a 1.2 percent raise for public school teachers.

    · In addition to public school teachers, state employees will lose a 1.2 percent raise. This will be the fifth consecutive year they go without a salary increase. State retirees will lose a 1 percent cost of living adjustment increase.

    · The state's Medicaid program will run out of money during the fiscal year, causing doctors to go unpaid and patient care to suffer.

    · Programs for needy families and the state's at-risk population will not receive $900 million in federal block grants.

    · The state's gas tax will not be cut.

    · North Carolina's college students will lose $18.6 million in additional money for need-based scholarships and financial aid.

    · Regional Economic Development Commissions will not receive the additional $1.3 million they need to continue to recruit new employers to North Carolina.

    · More than a dozen state programs under continuation review - including UNC-TV and family courts - will not have their funding restored and will be eliminated.

    · The Division of Employment Security will lose the ability to transfer $20 million to operate offices around the state, creating greater hardships for the unemployed.

    · Tens of millions of dollars in mortgage settlement and Tennessee Valley Authority settlement funds will be left unspent.

    · Dozens of state buildings, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment, will either be closed or unable to open, including libraries, research facilities, and hospitals.

    Below is a joint statement from Berger and Tillis:

    "If Gov. Perdue truly cares about the best interests of North Carolina, she will sign this budget. From students attending public schools, to drivers filling up their tanks, to Medicaid patients recovering in our hospitals, every North Carolinian benefits from this budget. A veto would show that Gov. Perdue is more interested in playing politics than in budgeting responsibly."

    Contacts: Amy Auth (Berger), (919)301-1737

    Brandon Greife (Berger), (919) 301-1735

    Jordan Shaw (Tillis), (919)733-3451