The NC Budget & Tax Center has released a report explaining the 2019 state budget that was passed this year by the state legislature and begins by pointing out North Carolina lawmakers approved a state budget “that falls short of helping all North Carolinians live healthy, prosperous lives.”
The report explains that the new $23.9 billion budget does not promote a long-term vision for an inclusive state, as it continues to under-invest in areas of great public need and doesn’t take into account upcoming federal budget cuts.
According to the report:
“The final budget that lawmakers enacted continues to limit a collective commitment to North Carolina, increasing spending by $881.7 million over 2018. To put that figure in perspective, this means that the final budget is just 1 percent above pre-Recession levels, despite the state’s population growth over that same period of 11 percent.”
The latest NC Budget & Tax Center report points out, among other things:
- Total state spending for fiscal year 2019 marks 10 consecutive years that state spending has declined as a share of the state’s economy
- Lawmakers left $561 million unappropriated
- The legislature’s decision to leave in place tax choices from 2017 means roughly $3.5 billion less in revenue each year to fund community and voter priorities like protecting children from abuse, building healthy schools, serving seniors meals, protecting our water and air, and training the future workforce
- Over two-thirds (71 percent) of new investments in the 2019 fiscal year budget are made up of ‘one-time’ funds, or non-recurring money
The report also explains that Governor Cooper and the legislature offered different visions for North Carolina in their 2019 budgets and provides a visual recap of their different tax and spending choices. Moreover, the report compares current funding to 2008 levels in various critical areas and answers relevant questions such as:
- What percentage of the state budget goes to each core area (e.g., education, health & human services, public safety)?
- Which agencies received the most one-time funding?
- How much more would NC’s public schools need to receive to be funded at the same percentage as in 1970?
- How much, on average, have Civil and Criminal Court costs & fees increased since 2008?
To find out the answers to these questions and see more graphs that explain our state’s 2019 budget you can access the latest NC Budget & Tax Center report here.
Luis A. Toledo is a Public Policy Analyst for the Budget & Tax Center, a project of the North Carolina Justice Center.
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