Less than a month after state lawmakers passed a long-overdue budget, they're making changes to the spending plan.
The legislature rolled out a 51-page bill this week that's billed as "corrections" to the budget legislation. But in addition to fixing typos and mistakes, it reverses multiple funding cuts from the original budget, and it includes some new policy proposals.
The state Department of Agriculture would get back $3.8 million in vacant positions eliminated in the budget. The N.C. Department of Insurance would also get some jobs back but would still see an overall reduction of $1.5 million in funding for staff.
Lawmakers also want to restore the Office of Education and Outreach and its "Learning Happens Here" educational program at the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Some grants to local governments and organizations would be reduced, while the bill also features new spending, including $25 million to bring the Military World Games to UNC-Charlotte, as well as up to $40 million in potential incentives to lure a PGA Tour Championship Series event to the Triad.
The budget corrections bill would exempt the State Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation from following government purchasing and contracting regulations.
And it would boot out members of the governor's cabinet serving in an interim capacity if the Senate doesn't vote to confirm them before its session ends. Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake, said that change is unconstitutional and prompted her to vote against the bill.
Giving the legislature the option to avoid taking up cabinet member confirmations and eject the current agency leader "can leave us in a position where we have vacant high-level positions, and the governor is not able to carry out the missions of the executive branch," she said.
The bill passed the Senate Tuesday in a 34-8 vote, and the House could take up the measure when it returns next week.
