FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
RALEIGH, NC – Speaker of the House Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg) and House leaders highlighted legislative priorities for this year’s short session that begins Wednesday at noon.
Teacher and state employee pay raises remain the top priority for House members during the short session. The plan, first announced in February with other Republican leaders, includes a first step to raise entry-level pay for teachers years one through seven by almost 14 percent over the next two years to bring starting pay to among the top tier in the region. The House leaders again stated another priority is state employee and veteran teacher raises.
“I’ve been committed to giving raises to all teachers and state employees since our announcement in February and that remains a priority,” said Speaker Tillis. “Five years ago, under Democratic leadership the state placed teachers and state employees on unpaid furloughs. Because of the work we have put into turning our economy around, our state is able to move forward with important issues like state employee and teacher raises.”
Another legislative priority is the remediation of coal ash ponds across the state stemming from a breech in February at the Dan River near Eden. Since then, the House has been working with the Senate through the Environmental Review Commission (ERC) on legislation that will eliminate the threat of coal ash to North Carolina’s waterways.
The short session will also address budget fixes, including the reported shortfall.
“Thanks to state budget tightening earlier this year, we remain confident that the shortfall is manageable and we will be able to move forward with our legislative priorities including pay raises for teachers and state employees,” said Speaker Tillis.
