As the General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper continue to debate a state budget months after the deadline, state legislators have been passing “mini budgets” to fund initiatives including rural internet access and teacher pay raises.
District 120 Rep. Kevin Corbin said he and his colleagues in the House have drafted several mini-budgets focusing on issues with bipartisan support. Other mini-budget have addressed school and prison safety, sexual assault testing kits and disaster relief.
Corbin said he feels that it’s important to keep legislation moving even during the deadlock.
“There are a lot of good things in this budget,” Corbin said. “Republicans support passing this budget, but right now there are a lot of good things that just aren’t happening in our community because of this budget.”
Corbin said that the movement to override the governor’s veto on the budget is gaining traction in the General Assembly, even among Democrats. Medicaid expansion has been the primary roadblock so far, but a compromise may lie with the GOP-backed Carolina Cares program. Under Carolina Cares, more North Carolinians would have access to Medicaid, but there would also be new work requirements and a $600 annual premium. Corbin said he has seen opposition to Carolina Cares on both the far left and the far right, but he believes that a majority exists somewhere in the middle.
“People expect us to work together, not just go off in a corner and say ‘it’s my way or the highway,’” he said. “That way of thinking isn’t working.”
On Monday night, the Senate had a vote scheduled to override the governor’s veto and pass the budget. However, the vote was delayed until Tuesday night at the earliest.
Others are less than confident that a veto override is likely, among them Macon County Board of Education chairman Jim Breedlove.
“I have my doubts that anything is going to take place,” Breedlove said on Monday night. “I’ve seen too much politicking within the parties.”
State Sen. Jim Davis, who represents the 50th District, said Tuesday that Republican senators will keep the vote on the agenda until they are certain that they have the necessary votes to override the veto and that they will not stop forcing the issue until a final budget is adopted.
“It’s on the agenda again tonight and it will stay on the budget every night for the rest of the session if that’s what it takes,” Davis said.