NC Senate budget cuts taxes, reforms education, reduces spending
Posted on
May 24, 2011 by
admin
PRESS RELEASE
President Pro Tempore
Senator Phil Berger
(919) 733-5708
2007 Legislative Building
Raleigh, N.C. 27601
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Amy Auth, 919-301-1737 Ray Martin, 919-301-1740
May 24, 2011
Senate budget cuts taxes, reforms education, reduces spending
Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina Senate released a $19.4 billion budget Tuesday that cuts spending, lowers taxes, and reforms public education and other vital state services.
The spending plan will be available for public view from now until Tuesday, May 31, when a budget vote is expected on Senate floor.
By ending a sales tax hike Democrat lawmakers and Gov. Beverly Perdue promised to end this year but want to raise anyway, the budget returns more than $1 billion to the pockets of North Carolina residents and businesses, where it will help create thousands of new private-sector jobs. It also closes a $2.5 billion deficit Republicans inherited after taking control of the General Assembly in January.
“As promised, this budget right-sizes state government, lets North Carolinians keep more of their own money, and makes long-overdue improvements to public education,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham). “We promised voters we would make these tough decisions. We’re doing exactly what voters elected us to do.”
The Senate budget spends more on education than the House version and implements reforms aimed at increasing graduation rates and the number of high-quality teachers. They include:
· Developing a program to pay teachers based on performance, not seniority or academic credentials.
· Adding more than 1,100 teachers to classrooms in grades 1 through 3 this year, and even more over the coming years. The goal is to fund one teacher for every 15 students in those grades. Studies show lowering class sizes significantly helps student success.
· Creating a reading-intensive program to ensure students can read at grade level before advancing to fourth grade. Students are much more likely to graduate if proficient at a young age.
· Adding five more days to the school calendar.
· Providing more than $100 million for school construction.
A jobs package in the budget will inject $3.3 billion into the private economy by cutting taxes for individuals in every income bracket and offering new exemptions for small businesses. The total jobs package includes ending the temporary sales tax hike. Economists at UNC-Chapel Hill estimate the package will create at least 20,000 new private-sector jobs within a few years, and as many as 50,000 jobs long term.
Other budget highlights include:
· A measure to extend benefits for those who have been unemployed for 77 weeks. The governor vetoed a bill that extended the benefits.
· Fully funding the state retirement system for the first time in years.
· Fully funding the Rainy Day and Repair and Renovation funds.
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Make no mistake about it she could be putting tons of pressure on them if she wanted
