NC General Assembly Back to Business

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CHARLOTTE, NC —  The North Carolina Legislature returned to session Wednesday, getting back to work after a two-week break.

Mecklenburg County lawmakers have lots to deal with in 2015, trying to get out of the blocks quickly to tackle wide-ranging issues.

The General Assembly was buzzing. Nearly 30 bills were filed in the House and Senate, as lawmakers focus on the economy and job creation.  

“Our revenue stream is looking good,” said Republican Senator Robert Rucho. “We’re very confident that we will meet the targets that we planned, and that’s a good sign. Because what that means is, the North Carolina economy is growing.”

Republicans are in the majority again, but it will take bi-partisan effort to move key issues.

“The message that we’re getting from the leadership is that they want to work across the aisle, and we certainly want to do that,” said Democratic Representative Beverly Earle. “I mean, there’s going to be issues for Mecklenburg that I know we’ll need to deal with.”

Frustrations are high in the Charlotte area over traffic issues, from potential toll lanes to a lack of funding for further improvements.

Business leaders say the state will face serious problems if politicians don’t develop a strategy for funding transportation needs.

“The reality is, there is no simple solution to finding a source of money that we can count on continuously,” said Sen. Rucho. “We’re working on that, trying to find some way to take care of that problem. It just takes a little time to solve it.”

And the education budget battle will continue this year. The Assembly was able to find money for raises for some North Carolina teachers in 2014, but there is still much to be done.

“Give all the teachers a raise going forward,” said Rep. Earle. “And maybe reduce the class size, and put the teacher’s aides back into some of the classes. I think that’s very important.”

Governor Pat McCrory has said he will propose a bond of at least $1 billion for some road projects and offer funding options.