It’s Time to Stop the Budget Games in North Carolina

Lawmakers play budget games. They appear to be $312 million short of the $31 billion projected in the spending plan. When asked what was stopping the resolution, Senate Leader Phil Berger responded: “pork.” The House wants to give additional pay raises to teachers and state employees beyond what was approved last year. The Senate does not want it.

Instead of resolving their differences, our legislators are going home. Some suggest they will return in August or September. They will certainly not suspend their work “sine die” (that is to say definitively this year) while awaiting the outcome of the November elections. Remember Roy Cooper’s victory over Pat McCrory in 2016 and the legislature convening to reduce the governor’s powers? It could happen again.

There are legitimate reasons to revise the budget. The teacher turnover rate is 11.5% and remuneration is a primary factor. There is also a staffing shortage among state troopers, prison employees and many other state agencies.

The 2023 budget was not approved until October 2, two months after the start of the fiscal year. In 2021, a final budget was adopted on November 15, the first formally approved since 2018.

Budget delays are unfair to government employees and to government projects and programs. This is a poor way to run a $31 billion state-owned enterprise.

So, since lawmakers are considering constitutional amendments on voting, let’s consider some others.

We could make as many states and set fixed lengths for legislative sessions. Georgia sets the session limit at 40 days per year. Seven states have 60-day limits. One state allows only 60 days over two years. Four others have 90-day limits, with Tennessee ending legislative pay at 90 days.

North Carolina should set the number of session days in a two-year period at 100. After that, lawmakers should stop receiving their salaries and benefits, as an incentive for lawmakers to finish their work and go home. Special sessions should be called only by the governor, and only for a specific purpose and duration, such as passing a budget.

Let’s also put in place some amendments to eliminate career legislators. Phil Berger has served in the Senate for 23 years and has been its leader for 13 years. Senator Dan Blue served more than 30 years, and others have served for decades. North Carolina allows the governor to serve only eight years. Why should we give legislators unlimited mandate?

Let’s amend the Constitution so that legislative terms last four years instead of two, and no legislator is allowed to exceed three four-year terms. This would ensure new faces, new ideas and new leadership.

It’s no wonder that our legislature is made up mostly of retirees, wealthy individuals, or people who work for companies with vested interests in legislative issues. Most others cannot afford to serve.

So let’s pay legislators better. North Carolina currently pays legislators $13,951 a year, plus reimbursement of 29 cents per mile, $104 daily travel expenses during legislative sessions, and $559 a month for office and administrative expenses. We are well below most states, except for South Carolina, which pays only $10,400, Texas, at $7,200, and New Mexico, which pays legislators nothing. A few pay $60,000, $80,000, $100,000 or more. We get what we pay for!

Winning a legislative seat typically requires spending a minimum of $150,000 for a job that pays only $14,000. Can you see the problem? Legislators must rely on contributions to get elected. But who contributes? Mostly PACs, special interest groups, the wealthy, and, even though it’s illegal, corporate contributions.

This leads to the need for stricter campaign finance laws, limiting the amount that individuals, corporations, and PACs can give to candidates. Let’s also eliminate unlimited “in-kind” contributions that political parties can make on behalf of candidates. North Carolina can’t change federal laws, but we can strengthen ours.

Finally, let’s move the primary elections to June (as many states do), with the general election in November. If we can’t eliminate the money spent, we can at least reduce the duration of those expenses.