Budget Conference Begins

The state Senate rejected on Tuesday the House's version of its two-year North Carolina government budget, kicking off formal talks between the two chambers on forming a final spending plan. The House gave its final approval to a budget bill last week. The Senate passed its version in late June. The current fiscal year began July 1. On Wednesday, House and Senate Republican leaders named negotiators to work out differences on a host of spending and policy differences. Conferee list can be found at this link.

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UPDATE: Sen. Phil Berger said Thursday that if a compromise budget can be enacted by mid-September, lawmakers would likely adjourn while redistricting committees conduct public hearings on proposed congressional and legislative maps. Then the full chamber could vote on maps in October. But, if the budget process drags on longer, there might not be a break before the redistricting session.

Comparing the House v. Senate HHS Budgets

For years, NC Health News has combed through the budgets presented by each chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly to compare and contrast what lawmakers’ priorities are for Health and Human Services. We’ve also taken a look at the healthcare priorities in Justice and Public Safety budget too, and next week, we’ll add in the Department of Environmental Quality. What’s notable this year is that there’s a lot of money flowing to states around courtesy of the federal government. The American Rescue Plan Act and, before that, the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress in December 2020 have left North Carolina with money to spare.

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Rural Broadband Week

NC Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed Aug. 16–20, 2021, as Rural Broadband Week to call attention to the urgent need to improve broadband access and adoption across the state. Throughout the week, Gov. Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Information Technology will highlight how increased investments can equitably expand digital infrastructure, tools, and skills in rural areas, allowing all North Carolinians to participate in today’s digital economy. Governor Cooper’s $1.2 billion Closing the Digital Divide Plan will give 95% of households access to broadband of 100/20 Mbps and will address issues of affordability and digital literacy that affect rural counties. Those efforts will be accelerated by NCDIT’s new Office of Digital Equity and Literacy, a first for North Carolina and a first in the nation.

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