Posted on 08/10/2005 4:28:27 PM PDT by Libloather
Highlights of final N.C. House budget
8/10/2005 8:43 AM
By: Associated Press & News 14 Carolina Web Staff
The figures reflect reductions or increases to base budget expenses, some of them based on projected rises in recurring spending.
Salaries and benefits:
• Salary increase of two percent or $850, whichever is greater, and one week extra vacation for most state workers; average 2.24 percent raise for public school teachers. Community college faculty and professional staff also would receive an additional 2 percent raise: $237.3 million.
• Ensure all employees under State Personnel Act receive a minimum salary of $20,112: $750,000.
• Two percent cost-of-living adjustment for state retirees: $13.8 million.
• Repay money withheld from state pension during 2001-02 budget crisis: $25 million.
• Higher patient out-of-pocket costs, cash influx to cover projected shortfall in state employee health plan: $108.7 million.
Public schools:
• Meet projected increased enrollment of 28,309 students: $9.4 million.
• Allot one assistant principal for every 800 students, down from current 761 students: -$5 million.
• Reduction in additional money needed because of receipts from Civil Penalties & Forfeiture Fund in light of state Supreme Court ruling in favor of public schools: -$102.5 million.
• Supplemental funding for low-wealth schools: $20 million.
• Keep Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Fund, created by Gov. Mike Easley last year in response to Leandro school funding ruling at current levels to cover 16 pilot districts: $22.5 million.
• Fund ABCs of Public Education teacher bonuses: $100 million.
• Expand "Learn and Earn" high school initiative to 15 schools, with planning money for 20 more: $4.2 million.
• Fund additional workers at small specialty high schools at eight pilot sites: $1.5 million.
• Establish school-based child and family support teams to coordinate services education, human services assistance for at-risk students, hire 50 school nurses: $11 million.
Universities:
• UNC campuses and program reductions of 1.72 percent, with cuts determined by schools: -$31 million.
• Eliminate operating fund subsidy of summer school at UNC campuses: -$3.7 million.
• Hires professors, staff and other items to meet projected enrollment of 6,931 students: $73 million.
• Special funding for UNC-Wilmington and Appalachian State University to raise per-student level: $8.4 million.
• Additional faculty, staff and equipment to create approved doctoral programs at UNC-Charlotte: $5 million.
• Legislative tuition grants for private college: $1.4 million.
• Biotechnology initiatives at N.C. Central University and N.C. State University: $4.9 million.
• Operations, staff and maintenance costs for Friday Institute for Educational Innovation in Raleigh: $1.9 million.
• Focused growth funds for seven UNC institutions: $3.75 million.
• Operating funds for new Ocracoke campus for North Carolina Center on the Advancement of Teaching: $2.3 million.
• Repeal Medicare receipt reimbursement requirement at East Carolina University medical school: $1.7 million.
• Establish Renaissance Computing Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill: $6.4 million.
• Indigent care services funds for UNC Hospitals: $5 million.
Community Colleges:
• Meet projected increased enrollment of 2,449 students: $7.8 million.
• Raise tuition by 4 percent to $39.50 per credit hour: -$5.6 million.
• Additional funding for four colleges with multi-campus sites: $1.4 million.
• Custom industry training for workers at local businesses seeking to remain competitive: $2.6 million.
• Additional funding for small business centers: $1 million.
• Operating funds for community college system's BioNetwork initiative: $7.1 million.
• School equipment, including $500,000 to replace boat for marine technology program at Cape Fear Community College: $10 million.
• Construction of Bosch & Siemens Advanced Manufacturing Center at Craven Community College: $3.7 million.
• Construction of Forsyth Tech Center for Emerging Technologies: $3 million.
• Renovate facilities, purchase biotechnology equipment at Southeastern Community College: $3 million.
• Develop Defense Technology Information Center: $2 million.
• Renovate Textile Center buildings in Belmont for Gaston College: $1.2 million.
Health and Human Services:
• Freeze Medicaid rates for most hospitals: -$62.5 million.
• Cost management initiatives for Medicaid Personal Care Services: -$13.7 million.
• Increase Medicaid co-payments for chiropractic, optometry, podiatry and non-emergency ER visits: -$5.4 million.
• Expand drug utilization management measures for Medicaid patients: -$2.75 million.
• Revise Medicaid program expense forecast downward: -$20 million.
• Community Care of North Carolina managed care projected savings: -$22.2 million.
• Increase Medicaid rates for dental services: $2 million.
• Transfer children under 5 from N.C. Health Choice insurance program to Medicaid: $7.1 million.
• Remove enrollment cap on NC Health Choice health insurance plan for children of low-income families, lower reimbursement rates to 115 percent of Medicaid: $6.1 million.
• Double all existing licensure and inspection fees for most health care facilities: -$1.8 million.
• Hire 44 workers to expand mental health facility, adult care home, and home care agency licensure and inspections: $3.5 million.
• Establish Governor's Commission on Early Childhood Vision Care to ensure needy children in child cares and preschools receive eye exams $2 million.
• Hire additional child protective service workers at county level to reduce caseloads: $2 million.
• Pay for public health incubators: $1 million.
• Reduce child-care subsidy waiting list: $3.6 million.
• Fund Community-Focused Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative, providing grants to close health gap with Latino, black and American Indian citizens: $2 million.
• Increased funding for AIDS Drug Assistance Program: $1 million.
• Expand More at Four preschool program by 6,400 slots over next two years: $16.5 million.
• Develop N.C. Families Accessing Services through Technology initiative to reduce time on administrative tasks within social services: $4.9 million.
• Fund federally-qualified health centers, state-designated rural health centers and health clinics: $2 million.
• Grants, low-interest loans to eligible rural health and critical needs hospitals for increases in uncompensated care: $3 million.
Natural and Economic Resources:
• Partially restore funding for Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Program: $663,000.
• Implement requirements of expanding regulation, inspection of animal shelters: $225,000.
• Creation of new safety training fee by Mine and Quarry Bureau of Department of Labor: -$270,000.
• Expand one-stop, express environmental permitting programs statewide: $113,000.
• Fund permanent oyster rehabilitation program: $575,000.
• Operating reserve for Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium in lieu of receipt-supported reserve: $1.7 million.
• Oyster hatchery research for North Carolina Aquariums: $600,000.
• Reduce funding for equipment, vehicles within Division of Forest Resources: -$1 million.
• Fund continuation of UNC-TV of second season of "Exploring NC": $250,000.
• Reduce operating reserve for Division of Parks and Recreation: -$1 million.
• State matching funds for Superfund, clean water initiatives: $6.3 million.
• Marketing funds for High Point International Home Furnishings Market: $750,000.
• Pilot funds for Kerr-Tar Regional Hub, a four-county economic development project: $4 million.
• Promote proposed live entertainment complex in Roanoke Rapids: $500,000.
• Build, operate advanced vehicle research center in Northampton County: $7.5 million.
• Minority support centers two credit unions: $2.5 million.
• North Carolina travel and tourism promotion: $1 million.
• Support strategic plan for expanding North Carolina biotechnology economy: $3 million.
• Continue North Carolina Rural Center's rural economic infrastructure fund: $20 million.
Justice and Public Safety:
• Reserve for carrying out pending driving while impaired task force recommendations: $1.1 million.
• Purchase new telephone system for Mecklenburg County courthouse: $1.5 million.
• Create Mecklenburg County Business Court: $225,000.
• Reduce indigent persons attorney fee fund: -$1.4 million.
• Reduce and restructure Sentencing Services: -$1.2 million.
• Hire 19 State Bureau of Investigation positions to fight methamphetamine production and child exploitation and analyze DNA: $300,000 (not including federal grants).
• Reduce funding for Youth Development Centers, affecting 46 positions, to reflect lower juvenile population and beds in operation: -$1.9 million.
• Juvenile Crime Prevention Council grants for gang prevention programs: $2 million.
• Eliminate 25 vacant probation/parole officer positions: -$1.2 million.
• Reduce physician, hospital charges for state prisoners: -$4.6 million.
• Cost savings for delayed opening of Maury, Bertie prisons: -$3.6 million.
• Increase maximum monthly pension benefit for N.C. National Guard members from $100 per month to $150: $4.5 million.
• Tuition assistance program for National Guard members to return from Afghanistan, Iraq: $200,000.
• Increase Crime Victims Compensation fund: $800,000.
Transportation:
• Continue deployment of VIPER statewide emergency response radio system: $8.1 million.
• Hire 10 additional state troopers: $1 million.
• Train and transition all Motor Enforcement Officer positions to give them the same level of arrest authority and pay as other troopers: $3 million.
• Global TransPark funding: $1.6 million.
• Suspend transfer to general fund of money lost from Civil Penalties & Forfeiture Fund in light of state Supreme Court ruling in favor of public schools: -$16.2 million.
Other agencies and funds:
• Fund N.C. Veterans Park in Fayetteville: $2.3 million.
• Maintain historic sites statewide: $500,000.
• Increase Tryon Palace operating budget: $570,432.
• Develop, build Pocosin Arts Education Center: $1 million.
• N.C. Symphony grant: $500,000.
• Library grants: $2.2 million.
• International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro: $500,000.
• Design, plan Sparta Teapot Museum: $400,000.
• Expand Museum of the Cape Fear: $1 million.
• N.C. Housing Finance Agency additional funding: $5 million.
• Convert 47 Revenue Department positions to receipt-supported jobs: -$2 million.
• Additional Secretary of State equipment should lobbying reform bill become law: $150,000.
• Build two-ring, 400-stall equestrian center in Rockingham County: $1 million.
• Establish Atlantic Coast Conference Hall of Champions in Greensboro: $2 million.
• Promote Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association: $500,000.
• Kids Voting NC Funds: $200,000.
• Reserve for rent with state agencies with office space in Polk Building in Charlotte: $2.6 million.
• Continue payroll/human resources system modernization within state government through State Business Infrastructure Project: $18.4 million.
• Mental health reform trust fund: $10 million.
• Pay for senior prescription drug program until Medicare drug program is up and running: $10 million.
• Reserve for higher fuel costs: $3 million.
Capital Projects:
• Equipment and infrastructure for Wilmington, Morehead City ports: $9 million.
• Capital funds for N.C. Museum of Art expansion: $10 million.
• Water resources development projects: $15.3 million.
• Clean Water Management Trust Fund: $100 million.
• N.C. State University planning, design of engineering complex relocating to Centennial Campus: $8.7 million.
• Capital projects at UNC-Chapel Hill dental school, UNC-Greensboro/ N.C. A&T joint millennium campus, UNC-Wilmington nursing school and Winston-Salem State University lab facility: $7.4 million.
About the only thing I like is the money for the NC Veteran's Park in Fayetteville.
Hey, when do we get the Lotto? I seem to recall that around 10 years ago the Rs ran the house. The Dems ran campaign adds that said it was the mean ol' Republicans holding up the Lotto. "Elect us and we'll get one passed." Well, its been about 10 years and still no Lotto.
How about firing 1 out of 7 state workers, cutting the budget 15% across the board, end all state hiring, and putting in term limits? Is that so tough?
Teapot museum???
What is that?
2% raises don't seem out of line, in fact they are way below the rate of inflation.
Then again, I don't live or pay taxes in N.C.
Oh, I agree with you. In fact I could cut a lot deeper.
EBT cards and lazy people drinking fortified wine around the quick stops at 10:00AM drive me nuts.
I just like to drop about $10 a week on the Lotto game. Only get a chance to do that when we're down at Holden's Beach near the SC border.
About $400,000.
What is a Global TransPark?
Oyster rehab? What are they doing, hiting the sauce?
A boondoggle.
"What is a Global TransPark?"
I live here and I have no idea. They are always out in the middle of nowhere too.
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