Monday Wrap: Billion here, billion there
The House rolled out the rest of its proposed 2015-16 budget on Monday, and the plan calls to spend $22.1 billion - or about $1 billion more than the current year.
Posted — UpdatedThe extra money comes from a $400 million surplus, revenue growth, borrowing excess money from a Medicaid fund and higher fees, such as those charged by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
The budget includes 2 percent raises for teachers and other state employees, as well as a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for retired state workers. It also reinstated a tax deduction for seniors' medical expenses, increased the amount available for grants to film productions and resurrected the tax credit for rehabbing historic properties.
The House Finance Committee passed the revenue portion of the budget, and the whole bill goes before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Senate passed the so-called "ag-gag" bill, which would allow companies to sue employees record undercover videos of alleged wrongdoing. It also gave tentative approval to the omnibus Farm Bill, which would allow an expansion of deer farming in North Carolina.
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