By The Associated Press- Perdue touts education as NC priorities in budget pain otherwise filled with cuts
– Perdue budget won’t have new debt for construction projects
– NC secondhand smoke health care costs could fan flames for public smoking ban bill
THE BRIEF:DOSE OF MEDICINE DELAYED: The Senate put off a floor vote on fixing the state employee health insurance plan’s woes for another day as lawmakers are uncomfortable with changes to pharmacy benefits. Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, the bill’s sponsor, said colleagues wanted more time to look options to find $90 million in savings. The plan would require employees to get drug prescriptions for treating chronic conditions either through an in-network pharmacist or by mail order. The bill also includes higher family premiums and eroded benefits. Rand said the bill needs to get through the Legislature by the end of the month. Gov. Beverly Perdue already has said she will spend $250 million from the rainy-day fund to deal with the plan’s immediate cash flow problems.
BUDGET’S EVE: Gov. Beverly Perdue tried one more time to highlight positives in her otherwise painful state government budget proposal for the next two years at a meeting of the North Carolina Education Budget. The new governor will release the spending plan for legislators at a news conference Tuesday. Perdue said her budget through mid-2011 would raise overall spending for state education by $350 million over the next two years, led by a 2.5 percent increase in the K-12 schools. She said the federal stimulus money would help with the increase. Perdue said the University of North Carolina and community college systems will face difficult times but said she was committed to protecting core educational services.
NO DEBT: Gov. Beverly Perdue doesn’t want the state to issue new debt for the coming year on construction because of the bad economy and the state’s declining revenues. Perdue said at the Education Cabinet meeting that her spending proposal would include some cash for a couple of university projects. In 2008, the Legislature authorized $857 million in debt over the next four years. But State Treasurer Janet Cowell said the state has nearly run out of room to borrow without jeopardizing a self-imposed limit set to protect its top-rated credit.
SECONDHAND SMOKE: A new report estimating the annual medical care caused by secondhand smoke in North Carolina at $289 million could help efforts at the Legislature to get a public smoking ban passed this year. The state Division of Public Health said the figure was estimated by staffers at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Blue Cross analyzed the cost of diseases a surgeon general’s report said result from secondhand smoke, including lung cancer, heart attacks and other heart diseases in adults. A House judiciary panel was expected to take up the public smoking bill Tuesday.
MOTORSPORTS TRAILERS: Motorsports teams would be able to drive tractor-trailer combinations of up to 90 feet long to races and testing in legislation given final approval by the General Assembly. The House gave the final OK with a 111-2 vote. The Senate approved the change two weeks ago. The trailers would be exempted from the current 60-foot limit. The measure now goes to Gov. Beverly Perdue’s desk.
MONDAY’S SCORECARD:In the Senate:
– S127, establishes guidelines that allow colleges and other nonprofit institutions with endowment funds to withdraw money now closed to them as a result of the funds’ value falling below their original values. Concurrence motion approved 50-0. Next: To Gov. Beverly Perdue’s desk.
Introduced in the House:
– H611, to allow individuals to make donations on income tax returns toward efforts for early detection of breast cancer. Various sponsors.
– H613, to indicate that the state has not consented to allow the United States to acquire land for an outlying landing field in a county which have no existing military base at which squadrons are stationed. Sponsor: Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank.
– H614, to improve absentee voting laws in part to improve military and overseas voters to cast timely ballots. Sponsors: Reps. Grier Martin, D-Wake, and Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland.
– H619, to change the NC Green Business Fund from a grant-making fund to a no-interest loan fund for small private businesses, nonprofits, local governments and state agencies to encourage green-related industries. Sponsor: Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford.
Introduced in the Senate:
– S610, to exempt from the state and local sales tax liquefied petroleum gas sold to individuals for domestic consumption. Sponsor: Sen. Bob Atwater, D-Chatham.
– S624, to allow police officers and other law enforcement to retire after 25 years with unreduced benefits. Sponsor: Sen. Julia Boseman, D-New Hanover.
ON THE AGENDA:Gov. Beverly Perdue will release her budget proposal for the next two years on Tuesday morning. Lawmakers are expected to hold public budget briefings in the afternoon to get their first look at the plan she presented to the General Assembly.
OVERHEARD:”I figured by tomorrow nobody in North Carolina much would be speaking to us.” ó Gov. Beverly Perdue in addressing the North Carolina Education Cabinet, saying the members would want to speak to her Monday because her budget proposal could cause some pain to public education.