LUMBERTON — At least one state lawmaker fully expects the release of scholarship money for the children of the state’s military veterans to be taken up when the North Carolina General Assembly convenes on Tuesday.
Lawmakers will gather at noon on Tuesday for what is called a “mini-session,” during which preparations are made for the upcoming short session, which typically begins in the May following the preceding long session. Legislation generally is not taken up during a mini-session, of which there can be more than one before the short session begins.
However, some people “dragged their feet” on the scholarship money issue and lawmakers are eager to make things right, said Rep. Garland Pierce, whose District 48 covered part of Robeson County until January 2019. The Democrat expects the scholarship money legislation to be approved in the House and then sent to the Senate because “it’s not a partisan issue.”
“I fully support that bill,” he said.
It’s the only legislation he anticipates being taken up on Tuesday, Pierce said.
But it was an issue that stoked the anger of Lumberton’s resident state senator in December. Republican Danny Britt Jr. verbally castigated the N.C. Department of Military and Veteran Affairs for holding on to $9.19 million the General Assembly had allocated for the scholarships.
“Since mid-October members of the General Assembly have been hearing about delays from scholarship recipients,” Britt said in December. “We’ve been hard at work ensuring that funds would be paid out. It’s unfortunate that it took five months and a number of WBTV stories to get to this point, but at the end of the day this program is about helping the children of the men and women who risked or lost their lives defending our country. Let’s salute them and move on.”
Britt went so far as to request e-mails and other records from DMVA related to the scholarship funding.
As for when the short session will begin, that remains to be seen.
Rep. Pierce said he will ask Speaker of the House Tim Moore to start the session in April to better accommodate election activities.
Primary elections will take place March 3. At that time members of individual political parties will choose their candidates for the Nov. 3 general election. The sooner the short session begins and ends, the more time state lawmakers can campaign for re-election.
When the short session does start state Rep. Charles Graham and Britt plan to make ending the state budget impasse and teacher pay priorities.
“I, along with our teachers, teacher assistants, and state employees, would like to see a budget finalized, which rests in the Senate,” said Graham, a former educator and Democrat. “I’m hopeful appropriation chairs are working with the governor to work out their differences to get a budget passed.”
But he’s not hearing of any other movement or discussions related to the budget, Graham said.
“I know our retirees are hoping for a 2% COLA (cost-of-living adjustment),which they deserve as opposed to a 1% one-time bonus, which is an insult,” Graham said. “Our teachers and state employees are concerned, and I share their concerns.”
Lawmakers once again will try to get an increase in pay for teachers during the upcoming short session, Britt said.
“As you may recall the governor vetoed the pay raises for teachers we passed in the House and Senate earlier this spring,” he said. “Additionally. we have much-needed pay raises to non-certified support staff.”
There has never been a state budget that saw so much money returning to Robeson County, Britt said. The same is true for the rest of his district in Columbus County, the District 13 senator said.
“There is over $30 million in the budget for capital at Robeson Community College and for PSRC (Public Schools of Robeson County),” Britt said. “There is also money for many other projects across the district, to include $99 million for a new health and sciences program at UNCP, which will benefit the entire southeast part of the state.
“I am optimistic we will have the necessary votes to override the governor’s veto.”
Overriding the budget veto by Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is critical to continue what Republicans in the General Assembly have done over the past five years to better fund education and to continue to increase teacher pay, Britt said.
Cooper vetoed on June 28 a two-year budget plan that would have spent $24 billion in the fiscal year that started July 1. The House voted to override the veto on Sept. 11. The Senate has yet to vote on overriding the veto.
The General Assembly has since approved a series of spending bills that worked around Cooper’s veto. Among them was a bill that provided money to increase the number of assistant district attorneys in Robeson County from 12 to 13 and for the number of District Court judges from five to six. Cooper signed that bill in to law in October.
