Today, Governor Josh Stein highlighted working North Carolinians to urge the General Assembly to prioritize passing a budget and expanding opportunity for all North Carolinians.
“The people of North Carolina need and deserve a state budget,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Without a state budget, our teachers will start the school year without a well-deserved pay raise, law enforcement agencies will have a harder time recruiting and retaining the best, the DMV won’t be able to hire the employees it needs to reduce wait times, and the North Carolina Medicaid program will face cuts to essential health care. I urge the General Assembly to come together and pass a budget that invests in our people and their futures.”
“Many educators are starting the year without knowing what their salary will be, or whether their years of service will be fully recognized,” said 2025 North Carolina Teacher of the Year Rachel Candaso. “Without a passed budget, educators are faced with the heartbreaking decision of whether they can afford to stay in the profession they love. I call on our legislators to pass a budget that honors our work and invests in North Carolina’s future.”
“People want to feel safe in their homes, in their cars, in their businesses, and in everything they do, and law enforcement has to do more with fewer resources to do that, often to the detriment of their own health,” said Durham County Sheriff Training Division Captain Kimberly Lane. “Every position in our agency is valued, and when officers leave, it is a loss to us, our county, and our profession. A budget is a step in the right direction to encourage more people to get into the profession and stay.”
“After sending 4 kids to college and saving for 10 years to buy our first home, I still have not been able to update my address or upgrade to Real ID at the DMV,” said Sarah Morgan, a DMV customer. "The problem with our DMV is a crisis in our state. Governor Stein has created a plan and a budget to solve the crisis, and we need our state representatives to put aside party divisions and factions to pass this budget.”
“When I got a diagnosis for degenerative disc disease, I did not have health care – and had not been able to afford adequate health care for years,” said Joanna Parker, a Medicaid recipient. “Medicaid expansion allows me to receive the care I need to remain healthy and be with my friends and family. I hope North Carolina lawmakers do what is right, so the more than 670,000 people like me continue to receive this life-saving health care.”
“As a senior citizen on fixed income, I need my bills to be consistent,” said Milltrene Newell, a Louisburg resident. “My utility bill continues to skyrocket, and the last thing I can afford is for my light bill to go up. I am disappointed by the General Assembly voting to raise my utility bill – let's focus on helping people succeed instead.”
A budget for the 2025-2027 biennium was due on July 1. In March, Governor Stein released his 2025-2027 budget proposal, which includes pay raises for teachers, law enforcement, correctional officers, and caregivers, as well as investments in North Carolina’s workforce so that every North Carolinian has the opportunity to thrive. The Governor’s budget also puts families first by proposing more than half a billion dollars in tax credits for working families, tackling the state’s child care crisis, and ensuring that North Carolina’s public schools and teachers are well-equipped. It provides necessary resources for additional DMV employees and to shore up funding for Medicaid in North Carolina.
Currently, North Carolina’s starting teacher pay is among the lowest in the Southeast. The state has also seen high teacher turnover and high vacancy rates of law enforcement officers in many counties, towns, and cities – a trend that may continue if proposed raises are not enacted into law. The Governor’s budget proposal would bring North Carolina starting teacher pay to the highest in the Southeast, restore master’s pay, and provide bonuses to better recruit new law enforcement officers. It also invests in the North Carolina DMV to hire more employees, improve working conditions, and reduce wait times.
As a result of the federal reconciliation law, health care for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians is in jeopardy. Without action from the General Assembly to save Medicaid expansion and without action from Congress to renew Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies, nearly 900,000 North Carolinians could lose their health care coverage.
The Governor remains committed to signing a budget into law that puts North Carolina families first and keeps communities safe and healthy.