Senate budget gives NC gov more employment power

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s next governor would be able to hire more political appointees than his predecessor and decide on pay for his Cabinet if the Senate’s budget proposal becomes law.

Current law gives a governor the ability to hire potentially more than 400 policymakers across departments that are not subject to hiring and firing restrictions in the State Personnel Act. The Senate proposal unveiled this week would raise that total to about 1,000 people.

The bill also would no longer set specific salaries of Cabinet secretaries in state law starting Jan. 1 – giving that authority to the governor. But there would be no extra salary money overall.

Sen. Richard Stevens of Cary said the change gives more flexibility to the next governor to recruit the best people to run departments.

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