Budgets lay out priorities.  Votes on the budget reflect priorities of lawmakers. The governor had his with a 2.3% increase in spending. The House passed a budget last week that spends too much. It increases spending $1.3 billion or 6.2%, increases targeted economic incentives to the tune of $145 million, extends special tax treatment to the solar industry for two more years. It had some good ideas in education like expand  opportunity scholarships, increase pay for teachers and fully fund student enrollment growth. They save some but not enough. 

The vote of House members was 94-23.

Republicans Voting Aye:

  • Jay Adams (Catawba)
  • Dean Arp (Union)
  • Marilyn Avila (Wake)
  • Brian Brown (Pitt)
  • Dan Bishop (Mecklenburg)
  • Hugh Blackwell (Burke)
  • James L. Boles, Jr. (Moore)
  • John R. Bradford, III (Mecklenburg)
  • William Brawley (Mecklenburg)
  • Mark Brody (Union)
  • Rob Bryan (Mecklenburg)
  • Rick Catlin (New Hanover)
  • George G. Cleveland (Onslow)
  • Leo Daughtry (Johnston)
  • Ted Davis, Jr. (New Hanover)
  • Jimmy Dixon (Duplin)
  • Josh Dobson (McDowell)
  • Nelson Dollar (Wake)
  • Jeffrey Elmore (Wilkes)
  • John Faircloth (Guilford)
  • John A. Fraley (Iredell)
  • Mike Hager (Rutherford)
  • Jon Hardister (Guilford)
  • Kelly E. Hastings (Gaston)
  • Bryan R. Holloway (Stokes)
  • Craig Horn (Union)
  • Pat B. Hurley (Randolph)
  • Frank Iler (Brunswick)
  • John R. Bell, IV (Wayne)
  • Charles Jeter (Mecklenburg)
  • Bert Jones (Rockingham)
  • Jonathan C. Jordan (Ashe)
  • Linda P. Johnson (Cabarrus)
  • Donny Lambeth (Forsyth)
  • David R. Lewis (Harnett)
  • Chris Malone (Wake)
  • Chuck McGrady (Henderson)
  • Allen McNeil (Randolph)
  • Gary Pendleton (Wake)
  • Michele D. Presnell (Yancey)
  • Rayne Brown (Davidson)
  • Rena W. Turner (Iredell)
  • Dennis Riddell (Alamance)
  • George S. Robinson (Caldwell)
  • Stephen M. Ross (Alamance)
  • Susan Martin (Wilson)
  • Jason Saine (Lincoln)
  • Jacqueline M. Schaffer (Mecklenburg)
  • Phil Shepard (Onslow)
  • Paul Stam (Wake)
  • Sarah Stevens (Surry)
  • John Szoka (Cumberland)
  • Tim Moore (Cleveland)
  • John A. Torbett (Gaston)
  • Harry Warren (Rowan)
  • Sam Watford (Davidson)
  • Roger West (Cherokee)
  • Chris Whitmire (Transylvania)
  • Larry Yarborough (Person)
  • Lee Zachary (Yadkin)


Democrats Voting Aye:

  • Gale Adcock (Wake)
  • John Ager (Buncombe)
  • Kelly M. Alexander, Jr. (Mecklenburg)
  • Brian Turner (Buncombe)
  • Nathan Baskerville (Vance)
  • William D. Brisson (Bladen)
  • Cecil Brockman (Guilford)
  • Charles Graham (Robeson)
  • Becky Carney (Mecklenburg)
  • Tricia Ann Cotham (Mecklenburg)
  • Carla D. Cunningham (Mecklenburg)
  • Duane Hall (Wake)
  • Jean Farmer-Butterfield (Wilson)
  • Elmer Floyd (Cumberland)
  • George Graham (Lenoir)
  • Rosa U. Gill (Wake)
  • Rick Glazier (Cumberland)
  • Ken Goodman (Richmond)
  • Susi H. Hamilton (New Hanover)
  • Edward Hanes, Jr. (Forsyth)
  • Yvonne L. Holley (Wake)
  • Howard J. Hunter, III (Hertford)
  • Darren G. Jackson (Wake)
  • Larry M. Bell (Sampson)
  • Marvin W. Lucas (Cumberland)
  • Garland E. Pierce (Scotland)
  • Ralph C. Johnson (Guilford)
  • Rodney W. Moore (Mecklenburg)
  • Robert T. Reives, II (Lee)
  • Bobbie Richardson (Franklin)
  • Brad Salmon (Harnett)
  • Ken Waddell (Columbus)
  • Michael H. Wray (Northampton)

Unaffiliated Voting Aye:

  • Paul Tine (Dare)

Republicans Voting No:

  • John M. Blust (Guilford)
  • Dana Bumgardner (Gaston)
  • Justin P. Burr (Stanly)
  • Jeff Collins (Nash)
  • Debra Conrad (Forsyth)
  • Carl Ford (Rowan)
  • Julia C. Howard (Davie)
  • Chris Millis (Pender)
  • Larry G. Pittman (Cabarrus)
  • Mitchell S. Setzer (Catawba)
  • Michael Speciale (Craven)

Democrats Voting No:

  • Beverly M. Earle (Mecklenburg)
  • Susan C. Fisher (Buncombe)
  • Grier Martin (Wake)
  • Pricey Harrison (Guilford)
  • Verla Insko (Orange)
  • Larry D. Hall (Durham)
  • Paul Luebke (Durham)
  • Graig R. Meyer (Orange)
  • Henry M. Michaux, Jr. (Durham)
  • Joe Sam Queen (Haywood)
  • Evelyn Terry (Forsyth)
  • Shelly Willingham (Edgecombe)

Absent Republicans:

  • James H. Langdon, Jr. (Johnston)
  • Pat McElraft (Carteret)
  • Bob Steinburg (Chowan)

Absent Democrats:

None

 

The Senate now begins it’s work on the budget.  Final votes in the Senate are scheduled on June 10 and 11.  We expect their priorities to include less spending, more saving, and tax relief  – quite different from the House version.  A conference committee will argue over the differences and craft a compromise budget report, due to be voted on June 30.  With all these votes recorded, at least we’ll know where our elected officials stand. And where their priorities lie.