Budget, incentives, bonds on tap for returning NC lawmakers

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press

RALEIGH, NC (AP) – The North Carolina General Assembly returns from a weeklong break Monday to begin an expected long, hot summer in Raleigh.

That’s because Republican leaders and GOP Gov. Pat McCrory have failed to work out most major issues they said they wanted to focus upon when they arrived in January.

The chief issue is the two-year state budget, but there has not been much urgency passing it although the fiscal year began July 1. A stop-gap spending measure expires Aug. 14. The House and Senate are about $700 million apart for spending this year. Negotiations will be complicated because the Senate wants many policy changes, too.

McCrory will keep pressing lawmakers to approve a fall referendum on up to $3 billion in borrowing and to give him an economic incentives package.

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