House budget begins to unfold
Update: So these little appropriations subcommittees are humming along and each is allowed to push some money around before sending their section of the budget back to the full appropriations committee.
Typically the procedure of the day involves staff members reviewing what's in the original documents. At the end of that review in Natural and Economic Resources, Rep. Ruth Samuelson, a Republican of Mecklenburg, had a question for her subcommittee chair:
"I think you may have answered my question - but I'm not the only freshman - so now is when the bartering begins?
Why yes, yes it is.
Samuelson tried some of that bartering, asking the committee to take $1 million slated for the drag racing hall of fame (see below) and shift it to program what would clean up emissions from older diesel school busses.
The $1 million of state money, she said, would be matched by the federal government and would help North Carolina combat air pollution, which could jeopardize other federal highway funds.
"I ask you to ignore the fact I'm a freshman, ignore the fact that I'm a Republican and vote in favor of this amendment," she said.
Well, the committee ignored something.
Rep. Michael Wray, a Democrat from Gaston, asked the committee to vote it down.
“The drag racing hall of fame is important to my community,” he said.
The amendment failed.
And a day of reviewing part - just part - of the budget continued.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The grand budget dance in the House has begun. This morning at 8:30 a.m. (more or less, depending on which committee you were at) six of the seven appropriation subcommittees began rifling through how the money in their particular program area would be spent.
At this point in the process, amounts for specific line items are going to change as appropriators shift money around from one item to another. And really, at this point, it's just important that an item stay in the budget so it can make it to the final round of negotiations.
Some highlights for the Guilford County/Rockingham/Randolph crowd:
- The Civil Rights Museum in downtown Greensboro was originally slated for a $1 million grant out of the "General Government" budget. That was cut to $500,000. Most of the money that was cut went to aid for public libraries.
- The Charlotte Hawkins Browm memorial in Sedalia is in line for a $50,00 grant.
- The joint nanotechnology school being put together by UNCG and NCAT is in line for $1.4 million in funding from the education budget.
- The Hosiery Technology Center, at Catawba and Randolph Community Colleges, would get a $100,000 grant to "enhance diversification in hosiery manufacturing operations where seamless production is compatible with hosiery manufacturing." Right.
- Funds to study the Equine Industry (that horses y'all) would be set at $330,000. Basically, this is a study that would pave the way for the state to invest more money in horses and horse technology.
- The Natural Science Center of Greensboro is in line for a $1 million grant as of 10 a.m.
- The state would provide $125,000 to help market the High Point furniture market under the proposed Commerce Department budget.
A bit further a field:
- The House budget, as of 10 a.m., still funded the School of Math and Science tuition grants that are championed by Sen. Kay Hagan and have become controversial as of late.
- $1 million was set aside for a drag racing hall of fame down east.
Comments (4)
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Mark-I'm enjoying reading your blog which is the best I've found about the ins and outs of the NC legislature. Is there any indication yet regarding what kind of raise there might be in the budget for state employees? Bills were introduced in both the House and Senate regarding substantial pay raises for community college faculty and staff (H81 which corresponds to S246) but neither seems to have gotten very far.
Posted on May 3, 2007 12:38 PM
Ralph:
There are some indications, but we don't have the full budget and the salary pieces in particular seem to be held back.
However, there are a couple tea-leaves to read.
One, the Associated Press has reported "Budget-writers for education programs _ which take up more than half of the expected $20 billion spending plan _ released a draft proposal that meets Gov. Mike Easley's request for an average 5 percent raise for public school teachers."
Also, I've heard from some fellow reporters that the Transportation budget has about a 2.5 percent raise for DOT employees. I'd expect that to carry through to other departments as well.
We'll know definitively next week.
Posted on May 3, 2007 12:52 PM
Mark, is there a place on the Web, perhaps somewhere at ncleg.net, to keep track of the appropriations subcommittees' recommendations?
Posted on May 3, 2007 4:14 PM
What - and put me out of a job?
Seriously, the answer is no, not really. They're not descrete bills in and of themsleves, and a really important part of the information is never in bill form at all.
The first time this will all hit the tubes will be on Monday or Tuesday when the full budget is released in all its glory....unless some enterprising (and insane) person tries to gather and scan seven sets of fairly complex budget docuements and the dozens of amendments that have been run today.
Posted on May 3, 2007 4:20 PM