Barry Smith - In the Loop

The 2008 short session of the General Assembly is under way. Among other things, legislators will be considering Gov. Mike Easley’s proposed $21.5 billion budget.

A few thoughts:

– Easley’s proposal to raise sin taxes (the cigarette tax and alcohol taxes) is sure to meet with resistance. House speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange, said he doesn’t expect that to fly.

– There seems to be some concern about the disparity in pay raises for teachers (an average 7 percent) and state employees (4 percent). Both Democratic and Republican leaders in the House said that was unsettling.

– Transportation boosters seem a bit somber, with the economic downturn resulting in a forecast of lower revenues. They’re still pushing for a phase-out of the transfer of funds that go from the Highway Trust Fund to the general fund, along with money to supplement tolls to help build turnpikes.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 12:40 pm and is filed under State government, Taxes, Transportation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.