No Room For Dissent In The New State Budget Plan

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,

Published May 30, 2018 at 12:46 PM EDT

Republican legislative leaders released their plan for the state budget late Monday. The bill includes a 6.5 percent average pay hike for teachers, raises for full-time state employees, and a $60 million fund for continued Hurricane Matthew recovery.

Frank Stasio speaks with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberii about the latest on the NC state budget.

What the budget does not include, however, is much room for debate. State Republican leaders have said they plan to refuse budget amendments and the process is closed to public input. House Minority Leader Rep. Darren Jackson (D-Wake) has called the process “secretive,” and critics have characterized it as dictatorial.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberiiabout the latest.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio