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Your Legislative Update for July 2 is below. Please feel free to forward this on to others who might find the information useful! |
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Perdue Signs Budget
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On Wednesday, June 30th, Governor Beverly Perdue signed a budget for fiscal year
2010-11 – the first time in 7 years that a budget has been approved before the
start of the fiscal year on July 1. The budget of almost
$19 billion offers no raises for state
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employees, protects
many public school teachers from losing their jobs and is predicted to create or
protect 20,000 jobs over the next three years through a small business tax
credit and the creation of the NC Mobility Fund. Perdue praised the budget as
“doing more with less”.
Republicans, who mostly voted against the budget, were not as impressed with the
new spending plan. Republican leaders in the House and Senate voiced their
opposition to a budget that they say is “fiscally irresponsible” by not
preparing the state for a potential $3 billion shortfall the following year.
Republicans are also critical of a plan to underfund the state pension plan if
Medicaid funding does not arrive from Washington – leaving a potential hole of
almost $500 million in the current fiscal year. The Governor’s signing of the
budget now paves the way for the General Assembly for adjournment which is
expected next week. A detailed analysis of legislation affecting engineers will
be provided shortly after adjournment.
Budget highlights of interest to Professional Engineers include (click on the
links for more information on the different categories):
Education
Environmental and Natural Resources
Commerce
Administration
Transportation
(see second article below)
Capital
(see third article below) |
Funding for NC Mobility Fund Falls Short
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Despite the strong efforts of the Governor’s Office, the Department of
Transportation and transportation advocates, funding included in the final
budget for the NC Mobility Fund is barely enough to complete the Yadkin River
Bridge Project and it will be many years before any other projects can even be
considered. Click for full article... |
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New Engineering Buildings Not Included in the Budget
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Capital funding for engineering buildings at NC State and NC A&T were not
included in the budget signed by Governor Perdue on Wednesday. SB 1378, Build
NC’s Future Act, proposed a $450 million bond proposal to issue Certificates of
Participation over the next two years for engineering buildings at NC State and
NCA&T, repairs and renovations at universities and state facilities and
equipment at community colleges and universities.
Click here for more... |
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If there are questions or you need additional information, please feel free to contact me at
bbailey@penc.org or phone 919-834-1144, ext. 1.
Sincerely,
Betsy Bailey
Professional Engineers of North Carolina | |
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In This Issue |
| Perdue Signs Budget |
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PENC Gets News Coverage in Triangle Business Journal
During this past legislative session, PENC was extremely involved
in the Jobs Recovery Coalition. This group worked dilligently to bring attention
to the impact the recession has had on the design community and lobby for
measures that could potentially alleviate the stress this community is facing.
The Triangle Business Journal recently chronicled PENC's
efforts as a participant in this coalition. If you haven't had a chance to read
the article, be sure to do so today!
You can access it here.
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Contact Us
Professional Engineers
of North Carolina
1015 Wade Avenue, Suite A
Raleigh, NC 27605
Phone: (919) 834-1144
Fax: (919) 834-1148
Web Site: www.penc.orgE-Mail: exec@penc.org | |
