Advocacy Update: Budget Rumors
Monday, August 17, 2015
By Kay Castillo, Director of Advocacy, Policy, and Legislation
Friday, August 14th marked the state’s deadline for a budget that legislators put into place on June 30th when they did not have a compromised budget ready to pass. Last week, legislators passed Senate Bill 560 2015 Continuing Budget Authority that gives the state another extension on passing a state budget until Monday, August 31st. The recent bill that Governor McCrory signed into law last week carries the funding levels as outlined in the previous Continuing Resolution BUT does reverse child care subsidy changes related to the definition of income unit made in the last legislative session. This change was devastating for families that lived with multiple family members as every income in the household was counted for a child’s eligibility instead of just the parent or guardian- limiting many children from childcare.
House and Senate leadership alluded to having come closer to finishing a budget deal later in the week indicating that it is possible to have a budget established by the August 31st deadline. Details on the budget and if any major policy changes will be included in the final budget have not been announced.
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