Judge pauses Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Judge pauses Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire nearly everyone at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was paused on Friday by a federal judge, who said she was “deeply concerned” about the plan.

The decision leaves in limbo a bureau created after the Great Recession to safeguard against fraud, abuse and deceptive practices. Trump administration officials argue that it has overstepped its authority and should have a more limited mission.

On Thursday, the administration officials moved to fire roughly 1,500 people, leaving around 200 employees, through a reduction in force that would dramatically downsize the bureau.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said she was worried the layoffs would violate her earlier order stopping the Republican administration from shutting down the CFPB. She’s been considering a lawsuit filed by an employee union that wants to preserve the bureau.

Jackson scheduled a hearing on April 28 to hear testimony from officials who worked on the reduction in force, or RIF.

“I’m willing to resolve it quickly, but I’m not going to let this RIF go forward until I have,” she said.

It’s the latest example of how Trump’s plans have faced legal hurdles as he works to reshape the federal government, saying it’s rife with fraud, waste and abuse. Other layoffs and policies have been subjected to stop-and-go litigation and court orders.

The CFPB has long frustrated businesses with its oversight and investigations, and Trump adviser Elon Musk made it a top target of his Department of Government Efficiency.

Mark Paoletta, the CFPB’s chief legal officer, wrote in a court declaration that “the bureau’s activities have pushed well beyond the limits of the law,” including what he described as “intrusive and wasteful fishing expeditions.”

He said officials have spent weeks developing “a much more limited vision for enforcement and supervision activities” with a “smaller, more efficient operation.”

Some of the CFPB’s responsibilities are required by law but would have only one person assigned to them under the Trump administration’s plan.

The enforcement division is slated to be cut from 248 to 50 employees. The supervision division faces an even deeper reduction, from 487 to 50, plus a relocation from Washington to the Southeastern region.

Before Friday’s hearing, attorneys for the National Treasury Employees Union filed a sworn statement from a CFPB employee identified only by the pseudonym Alex Doe. The employee said Gavin Kliger, a member of DOGE, was managing the agency’s RIF team charged with sending layoff notices.

“He kept the team up for 36 hours straight to ensure that the notices would go out yesterday,” the employee said. “Gavin was screaming at people he did not believe were working fast enough to ensure they could go out on this compressed timeline, calling them incompetent.”

The bureau’s chief operating officer, Adam Martinez, told the judge that he believes Kliger is an Office of Personnel Management employee detailed to the CFPB and doesn’t work directly for DOGE.

Jackson said she will require Kliger to attend and possibly testify at the April 28 hearing. She said she wants to know why he was there “and what we was doing.”

“We’re not going to decide what happened until we know what happened,” Jackson said.

The pseudonymous employee said team members raised concerns that the bureau had to conduct a “particularized assessment” before it could implement an RIF. Paoletta told them to ignore those concerns and move forward with mass firings, adding that “leadership would assume the risk,” the employee stated.

White House officials did not immediately respond to questions about the judge’s decision or the employee’s court declaration.

Teeing off for a cause: NCFC raises over $45k at 20th annual golf tournament to support youth soccer

Teeing off for a cause: NCFC raises over $45k at 20th annual golf tournament to support youth soccer

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – The North Carolina Football Club (NCFC) announced the group’s annual golf tournament generated more than $45,000 to expand opportunities for youth soccer. NCFC spokesperson Katherine Eberhardt says the tournament offered people a chance to showcase their swing while also supporting the club’s mission to grow the game of soccer across North Carolina.

“The event has grown over the years, it was our 20th annual event, and we’ve now taken over all three courses at Preston Wood which is a fantastic venue to host golfers. We raised more than $45,000 and had more than 281 golfers on the course. And all those funds are going to go right back into our community,” said Eberhardt.

For many families, the cost of youth sports can be a barrier — but NCFC is working to change that. With an expanded financial aid program in place, the club is aiming to ensure that every kid, no matter their background, has a chance to take the field.

“It’s gonna help open up the game to more kids in our community through our financial aid program, which is in place to help kids across all levels of play, so from the recreation level up to some of the highest levels of play. {It’s to} fill that gap between what a family can afford to pay and the club fees to make it happen,” said Eberhardt.

South Alabama QB Gio Lopez announces plan to transfer to North Carolina

South Alabama QB Gio Lopez announces plan to transfer to North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez is transferring to North Carolina.

Lopez announced his decision on social media Thursday night to join Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels, who wrapped up spring practices last weekend. Lopez proved to be a dual-threat option in his first full season as the starter, throwing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions while running for 465 yards and seven scores.

Lopez started 11 games last year and had appeared in five games while preserving his redshirt season as a freshman in 2023, giving him three more seasons of eligibility.

In an interview with The Madison (Alabama) Record, Lopez pointed to the NFL experience of Belichick and his staff as an enticing option as he mulled his final school choices.

“I didn’t enter the portal to not be a starter, I can assure you of that fact,” Lopez told the Record.

Furry Friday: Meet Franklin!

Furry Friday: Meet Franklin!

Franklyn is a one year old, medium energy boy! He gets excited when you come to his kennel, but volunteers say he is easy to collar and walk on the leash. He does pull at times, especially when he’s caught a scent and is on sniff patrol!

During doggie playgroups, Franklyn paired up nicely with a high energy female playmate and seemed to enjoy the tango together!

This good boy gets to go on adventures with our volunteers! On his latest outing to the park, it was noted that he rides very well in the car and on the hiking trails, he loves to sniff and explore all things. He would do best with humans who can match his need for outdoor adventures. He is quite the messy pup-cup eater though so be sure to get lots of napkins! Franklyn loves to smile and have a good time, come and meet your new best friend!

Although he is heartworm positive, it is treatable and not contagious. Friends of Wake County Animal Center has provided a $600 sponsorship to help cover the cost of treatment.

If you’re interested in learning more about Franklyn, please reach out to our Volunteer Matchmakers at [email protected] with the subject line “Franklyn 255128.”

Franklyn is up to date on vaccinations, flea/tick, and heartworm prevention, is microchipped, and will be neutered prior to going home. If you have dogs or cats, we recommend slow introductions over time. If you have children in your home, we recommend supervision between animals and children at all times.

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White Chocolate Frosting

White Chocolate Frosting

White Chocolate Frosting Recipe

White chocolate frosting dripping onto a cake.
Photo by Getty Images

White Chocolate Frosting recipe by Mrs. R. E. DeMain from WPTF’s “Ask Your Neighbor” Cookbook.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serving size: 3 cups (1 cake)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup and 2 tbsp of granulated sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup slivered toasted almonds for garnish
  • 6 tbsp evaporated milk
  • 2 cups white chocolate (chopped into small pieces)
White chocolate frosting being mixed in a bowl.
Photo by Getty Images

Directions

  1. Combine sugar, milk, and butter into a saucepan.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
  3. Remove from the heat and add white chocolate pieces and vanilla.
  4. Stir until the chocolate is melted and combined.
  5. Beat until thick enough to spread onto the cake.
  6. Allow the white chocolate frosting to harden on the cake and enjoy!
White chocolate bars for White Chocolate Frosting
Photo by Getty Images
Trump administration takes aim at Harvard’s international students and tax-exempt status

Trump administration takes aim at Harvard’s international students and tax-exempt status

By ANNIE MA, JOCELYN GECKER and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard, threatening to block the university from enrolling international students as the president called for withdrawing Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

The moves raise the stakes of the showdown between the White House and the nation’s oldest, wealthiest and arguably most prestigious university, which on Monday became the first to openly defy the administration’s demands related to activism on campus, antisemitism and diversity.

“I think Harvard’s a disgrace,” President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security ordered Harvard on Tuesday to turn over “detailed records” of its foreign student visa holders ’ “illegal and violent activities” by April 30. It also said it was canceling two grants to the school totaling $2.7 million.

By taking action against international students and the school’s tax status, the administration struck at two pillars of Harvard, where international students make up 27% of the campus, and the majority of the student body is in graduate school, often conducting globally prominent research. The school has risen to distinction by attracting the world’s top talent and large tax-deductible gifts from the country’s richest donors.

The federal government has already frozen more than $2 billion in grants and contracts to the Ivy League institution.

Leo Gerdén, a senior from Sweden, said many international students at Harvard are “scared of speaking up” because they feel attending the school has put a target on their back.

“All student visas right now at Harvard are at risk, and what the Trump administration is trying to do is divide us,” Gerdén said.

“Harvard without its international community is simply not Harvard,” added Gerdén, who is studying economics and government. If the institution were unable to admit people from abroad, “it would be incredibly tough for this university, for its students, for its academic community. So we should really fight with whatever means we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

The threat to Harvard’s ability to host international students comes as the Trump administration has quietly deleted the records and ended the legal status of international students at schools across the country. The students have been left with no clear recourse to regain their legal status in the U.S. They fear deportation.

At least 1,024 students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records. Many students said they had no legal infractions aside from minor traffic violations.

Harvard’s tax status under review

Some of the government’s demands of Harvard touched directly on the campus activism that first triggered federal scrutiny of elite universities.

The Trump administration, in a letter on Friday, told Harvard to impose tougher discipline on protesters and to screen international students for those who are “hostile to the American values.”

It also called for broad leadership reforms at the university, changes to admissions policies and the removal of college recognition for some student clubs. The government also demanded Harvard audit its faculty and student body to ensure wide viewpoints in every department and, if necessary, diversify by admitting additional students and hiring new faculty.

On Monday, Harvard said it would not comply, citing the First Amendment. The following day, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, questioning whether the university should lose its tax-exempt status “if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”

The White House suggested IRS scrutiny of Harvard’s tax status had already started before the president’s social media post. Federal tax law prohibits senior members of the executive branch from requesting that an IRS employee conduct or terminate an audit or investigation.

“Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution’s violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the President’s TRUTH,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in an email Thursday.

However, a person familiar with the matter said the Treasury Department directed Andrew De Mello, the IRS acting chief counsel, to begin the process of revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status shortly after Trump’s post. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Trump told reporters Thursday that a decision on revoking the university’s tax-exempt status hadn’t been made yet. “Tax-exempt status, it’s a privilege. It’s really a privilege. And it’s been abused by a lot more than Harvard,” Trump said. “So we’ll see how it all works out. “

Tax exemptions enable universities to receive large donations from major funders who want to decrease their tax burdens, which was instrumental in helping Harvard amass the nation’s largest university endowment at $53 billion.

Harvard president says school will not submit to government orders

The Trump administration has already hampered Harvard’s ability to fund its research and operations. After Harvard President Alan Garber said Monday the university would not bend to the government’s demands, the White House announced the freeze of more than $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in contracts.

The hold on federal money for research marked the seventh time the administration has taken such a step at one of the nation’s most elite colleges. Republicans say the schools have allowed antisemitism and racial discrimination to fester in the form of pro-Palestinian protests and have promoted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives contrary to the administration’s directives.

Separately, the House Oversight Committee said Thursday that it would open an investigation into Harvard, accusing the school of a “lack of compliance with civil rights laws.”

In a statement Thursday, the university reiterated: “Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” Harvard, the school said, “will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same.”

Christopher Rufo, who has pioneered several GOP strategies related to education, said the Trump administration should use against Harvard the same tools it used during the Civil Rights Movement to force desegregation, including stripping nonprofit status. Rufo said Harvard has discriminated against white and Asian American students, citing events such as graduation celebrations and a 2021 theater performance “exclusively for Black-identifying audience members.”

“Cut the funding and watch the university implode,” he said Tuesday on social media.

Nonprofit status, which is required for donations to be tax deductible, is contingent on an organization following IRS rules governing lobbying, political campaign activity and annual reporting obligations, among other requirements.

While “it’s easy for a 501(c)(3) organization to maintain its tax exempt status,” according to IRS publications, it “can be just as easy to lose it.”

Former Harvard President Larry Summers, who also served as Treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton, decried the threat to remove Harvard’s status.

“Any self-respecting Treasury Secretary would resign rather than have the Department be complicit in the weaponization of the IRS against a political adversary of the President,” he said on social media.

Trump’s campaign to force change at elite universities started at Columbia University, which initially agreed to several demands after the Trump administration froze $400 million of its federal funding.

But Columbia took a more emboldened tone after Harvard’s defiance. Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said in a campus message Monday that some of the demands “are not subject to negotiation” and that she read of Harvard’s rejection with “great interest.”

Archon Fung, a professor of democracy at Harvard, called for “friends of academic freedom” and higher education to stand together.

“The government has an enormous amount of power — taxing power, investigatory power,” Fung said. “I don’t know who wins that struggle in the end.”

___

Associated Press education writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Unsettled North Carolina election could be determined by which ballots are subject to court orders

Unsettled North Carolina election could be determined by which ballots are subject to court orders

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Supreme Court decided last week that ballots from two categories should have been left out of the tally of an unresolved November election for a seat on the court because state laws otherwise makes the voters ineligible.

But there is still legal friction about the number of ballots that state courts say must be scrutinized by election officials tasked with removing them from the count and giving voters the chance to provide additional information so their votes can remain.

The universe of potential ballots is critical because Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs leads Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin by just 734 votes from more than 5.5 million ballots cast in what is the nation’s last undecided race from the 2024 general election.

Griffin hopes enough ballots that he challenged are removed to flip the result. Meanwhile, Riggs and her allies have asked federal judges to stop the State Board of Elections from starting its ballot review while they argue U.S. law prevents any of these ballots from being removed.

The State Board of Elections, in a court filing this week, said that up to 1,675 ballots that were formally challenged by Griffin will be subject to the “cure” process ordered by state appeals courts. But Griffin’s attorneys wrote the next day that his formal protests required thousands of additional ballots to be identified by the board and potentially removed. And they accused the board of carrying out an order of the state Court of Appeals too narrowly.

“The State Board has announced its intent to defy this Court’s mandate,” Griffin lawyer Craig Schauer wrote Wednesday in asking the Court of Appeals to intervene.

A majority on the state Supreme Court let stand parts of an April 4 Court of Appeals decision that ballots shouldn’t be counted if they were cast by overseas voters who have never lived in the U.S. but whose parents were declared North Carolina residents. Election officials were told to “identify the votes from ‘Never Residents’ and remove them from the final count.”

The other disallowed category covers military or overseas voters who did not provide copies of photo identification or an ID exception form with their absentee ballots. Judges decided state law required that they provide IDs like other voters. Election officials were told to identify these voters and notify them that they could turn in an ID copy or exception form within 30 days for their vote to count.

An attorney for the State Board of Elections wrote Tuesday that only up to 1,409 voters in just one county would be subject to the ID curing process because only Griffin’s protest in Guilford County was complete by the election protest deadline.

But Griffin’s lawyers said he filed ID protests in five more counties before the deadline while still awaiting lists of such voters. Three more counties later provided information that raised the number of potential challenges to over 5,500. Schauer wrote that the Court of Appeals made it plain that ballots from all six counties should be subject to the review. Unofficial results show Riggs ahead in all six counties.

The state board also said Griffin’s residency protests would only affect up to 266 people in 53 counties. Griffin’s brief said the order should apply to voters from all 100 counties. The board also plans to give any voters inaccurately identified as living overseas the chance to keep their ballot in the count.

Riggs, the state Democratic Party and other groups and voters contend that Riggs is the winner, and that federal laws and the U.S. Constitution prevent state courts from changing voting rules after an election so that ballots cast properly can be removed.

Over the past week, U.S. District Judge Richard Myers refused requests to halt the board’s vote-curing process while lawyers for Riggs and others argue those points. But he barred the state board from certifying results or declaring a winner in the meantime. They have appealed Myers’ denials to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“This Court must intervene to prevent a retroactive application of a state court ruling that infringes North Carolina voters’ fundamental rights,” Riggs attorney Sam Hartzell wrote the 4th Circuit late Wednesday.

Griffin, who is a state Court of Appeals judge, and Riggs — one of two Democrats on the seven-member Supreme Court — have not participated in deliberations in their respective courts about their election.

Go inside the factory where Peeps are made

Go inside the factory where Peeps are made

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Love them or hate them, those marshmallow Peeps that come in blindingly bright colors and an array of flavors are inescapable around the Easter holiday.

Millions are made daily in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Just Born Quality Confections, a family-owned candy manufacturer that also churns out Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike fruit chews and Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews.

The marshmallow Peeps that come in bright colors are inescapable during the Easter holiday. Two billion Peeps are made every year, enough to circle the Earth, not just one time, but two times. (AP Video: Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Peeps is Just Born’s most recognizable brand and one of a handful of candies that evoke strong reactions — good and bad. Some say an Easter basket isn’t complete without Peeps while others deride them as being indestructible. Some use them in recipes or even artwork.

“Even if you’re not usually one to gravitate to eating the Peeps, there’s always so many other fun ways to include them in your celebrations,” said Caitlin Servian, brand manager for Peeps.

How many Peeps are made each year?

On average, about 5.5 million are made each day.

That adds up to 2 billion a year — or roughly 6 Peeps for every man, woman and child across the U.S.

How many different varieties and colors are there?

First hatched in yellow, the sugary chicks and bunnies come in nine colors for this Easter season, including pink, blue and lavender. And there are even more flavors — 14 for Easter — from cookies and cream, to fruit punch and sour watermelon. The varieties and colors vary throughout the year with different holiday seasons.

How long does it take to make a Peep?

Before the early 1950s, making the candies by hand took 27 hours.

Bob Born, who became known as the “Father of Peeps,” came up with a way to speed up the process. He and a company engineer designed a machine to make them in less than six minutes. The same process is used today.

How are they made?

The main ingredients — sugar, corn syrup and gelatin — are cooked and combined to create marshmallows, which are then shaped and sent through a “sugar shower.”

A whopping 400 pounds (181 kilograms) of sugar is used per batch for Peeps’ colored sugars.

Freshly made Peeps — each chick weighs one-third of an ounce — then move along a conveyor so that they can cool before being packaged.

___

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

North Carolina advances bill on book bans in public schools

North Carolina advances bill on book bans in public schools

By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — After fiery debate, a North Carolina bill advanced through the state House on Wednesday that gives parents a bigger say in which books are allowed — or banned — from the state’s public and charter schools.

Now, the bill heads to the state Senate. The legislation had a short trip through the House as Republican lawmakers quickly ran it through committees the day before. It’s also an issue the Trump administration has signaled it supports.

A few days after President Donald Trump took office, the Education Department denounced what it called former President Joe Biden’s “book ban hoax.” The agency dismissed 11 complaints on book challenges and removed a coordinator charged with investigating those bans, saying it was the first step in “restoring the fundamental rights of parents to direct their child’s education.”

Book bans have reached record highs over the past five years, as several states across the country have passed their own legislation barring some subjects from school libraries and letting parents submit book challenges. Their supporters say book bans protect students from being exposed to explicit material in school and empower parents within school systems.

In some conservative states, teachers and librarians could face criminal penalties for what some consider “obscene” material found in public schools. Over the past year, a countermovement in Democratic-led states has outlawed book bans instead.

North Carolina’s bill would charge a public school superintendent with creating a “community library advisory committee” made up of five parents and five school employees. That committee would then make recommendations for which books or films should be approved or denied.

Those recommendations would be published on school websites, where community members could submit their own objections to content slated for approval. The governing body of the district, typically the school board, would then decide on the recommendations at a meeting, according to the bill.

Some GOP legislators spoke in support of the bill and adamantly denied that the legislation facilitated book bans. Instead, they said parents could choose to buy books or check out books from public libraries if they weren’t available at their school.

“This is not a book ban,” Cabarrus County Republican Rep. Brian Echevarria said. “This is putting things out of the reach of children.”

Several Democratic House members vehemently opposed the bill, saying it could lead to censorship within schools. They argued that lawmakers shouldn’t play a role in determining what books can be allowed in school libraries — which was met by applause from attendees in the chamber gallery.

“Let’s stop tasking our superintendents with edicts from Raleigh that drain their time from actually educating our children,” said Democratic Rep. Amos Quick of Guilford County.

Debate was eventually cut off by GOP leadership using a parliamentary procedure.

Schools that do not comply with the legislation could be subject to civil penalties by parents or residents who sue. The State Board of Education would also be responsible for maintaining a public database of library materials that have been rejected.

North Carolina budget plan advances as Senate Republicans double down on tax cuts

North Carolina budget plan advances as Senate Republicans double down on tax cuts

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Senate Republicans have advanced a two-year budget for the ninth-largest state that spends less than what the new Democratic governor requested and doubles down on already enacted income tax cuts.

Mostly along party lines, the GOP-controlled Senate gave initial approval Wednesday evening to a proposal to spend $32.6 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1 and $33.3 billion for the following year.

Gov. Josh Stein, in his first budget pitch last month, wanted legislators to spend roughly $1 billion more each year than what the Senate decided in part by locating money through halting broad tax rate cuts.

But Republican senators are content with their balance of spending, taxes and cost-cutting. They’ve earmarked over $1.3 billion more for Hurricane Helene aid and they would eliminate hundreds of vacant state government positions.

Bill approval marks the next step toward enacting a final budget.

Taxes would keep falling

Stein’s budget asked the legislature to freeze the current individual income tax rate at 4.25% and the corporate rate at 2.25%, rather than let them fall even further. Previous laws are set to lower rates further in 2026 and later.

Stein said times are fiscally tight, and a consensus forecast from his budget office and General Assembly economists predicting state revenues would actually drop in the 2026-27 fiscal year from the lower rates shows GOP policies are “threatening a self-inflicted fiscal pain.”

The Senate budget not only would let the individual income tax rate continue down to 3.99% next year but also fall to 3.49% in 2027 and 2.99% in 2028.

Senate Republicans dismissed arguments that lowering rates even more would be fiscally irresponsible. They said tax cuts this past decade have helped actually raise revenues.

“Notwithstanding those cries of gloom and doom, what we have seen is the state’s economy continue to grow and flourish,” Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters this week. “It is our belief that these tax reductions will continue to grow North Carolina.”

Eliminating vacancies, raising pay

Following the cost-cutting trend in Washington, Senate Republicans also seek to eliminate unfilled state government positions and consolidate programs.

The Senate budget directs that 850 vacant government positions be eliminated, according to Berger’s office, citing the legislature’s Fiscal Research Division. About half are state Department of Health and Human Services positions vacant for more than 12 months. About 14,000 vacant positions in state government would remain.

The state community college system was also told to cut $57 million in spending by consolidating certain administrative functions. And the University of North Carolina system must reduce spending by targeting campus centers or institutes that in part are “low-performing, redundant” or in conflict with federal or state law.

Employee raises lower

The Senate budget gives workers raises that are generally lower than what have been enacted in recent years.

Public schoolteachers on average would receive 3.3% raises over two years, while rank-and-file state employees could only count on a 1.25% raise in the first year. But in addition, teachers and employees would also receive bonuses totaling $3,000, and adjustments could be made next year. State law enforcement officers would see higher permanent raises.

In contrast, Stein proposed average teacher pay raises of 10.7% over two years, and offered a 2% raise for rank-and-file workers, along with a $1,000 bonus.

Closing agencies

The Senate budget eliminates some state agencies. They include the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, which began operating in 2007 to examine and evaluate claims of wrongful convictions.

The commission’s work has resulted in 15 people being exonerated, according to its website. A budget document explaining the elimination says “other non-state entities provide similar opportunities for individuals to seek legal guidance and case review.”

The budget also would eliminate funds for a community college initiative designed to help minority male students complete their degrees and abolish a program that works to help minority- and women-owned businesses land state contracts.

Democratic response

Democrats, who hold 20 of the Senate’s 50 seats, blasted the budget proposal for the small raises, accelerating tax cuts they say benefit the wealthy and for keeping billions of dollars in reserve, rather than using them for critical needs.

“This is a cheapskate budget, and we are not a cheapskate state,” Democratic Sen. Graig Meyer said during Wednesday’s debate. “Democrats continue to be disappointed at the ways that Republicans are making choices that they’re bragging about, but are leaving North Carolinians behind.”

Republicans used parliamentary maneuvers to block votes on over two dozen Democratic floor amendments — several of which tried to spend money otherwise going for private-school vouchers or to corporate tax filers.

It turned out four Democrats joined all Republicans present except one in voting Wednesday for the bill.

What’s next?

The Senate must give the plan another affirmative vote Thursday before it goes to the House. After the House approves its competing proposal later this spring, the two chambers will attempt to work out differences in hopes of getting a final budget enacted by July 1.

House Republicans have signaled a desire for higher teacher pay increases or expressed concerns that tax rates could fall too quickly.

Stein said Wednesday the “Senate budget falls short” and that he wants to work with lawmakers to improve the spending plan: “We need to do much more to compensate teachers, support community colleges, and protect public safety.”

The threat of a Stein veto also could wield more influence over a final budget because Republicans are one seat short of a veto-proof majority. However, Republicans have located some Democratic support for past final budget bills.

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