Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand was in no mood to argue the merits of a budget "technical corrections" bill that raced through the legislature today as the session comes to a close.

State Sen. Richard Stevens, a Cary Republican, raised questions about a provision that hands another $1 million to Gov. Mike Easley's Learn and Earn initiative. It provides a means for high school students to obtain a four-year college degree tuition free, Dan Kane reports.

Easley had sought the money as part of negotiations that eventually persuaded him to sign the $21.4 billion state budget on Thursday.

The legislation allows the Office of State Budget and Management to take the money from any agency. Stevens said the money should come from the Department of Public Instruction, which oversees Learn and Earn.

"This could come out of prisons; it could come out of universities," Stevens said. "Why don't we take it out of DPI?"

"Because we're going to adjourn in a few minutes, and that's what it says," Rand responded.

Gov. Mike Easley ended the suspense today and signed the $21.4 billion state budget bill into law.

"The governor has signed the budget and thanks legislators for their hard work," said a statement from Easley's office. "He looks forward to the General Assembly finishing work on important remaining issues including legislation on drought, home foreclosure and mental health."

The budget includes modest pay increases for teachers and most state employees, no tax increases and a record $857 million in borrowing without voter approval for construction projects.

Lawmakers approved the budget last week, but Easley has been negotiating for additional money for his Learn and Earn initiative that provides high school students with a four-year college degree tuition free.

He had until the end of Friday to decide whether to sign or veto the budget before it became law — if the legislature remained in session.

If they had left by then, Easley would have received another 30 days to make a decision.

Easley did not hold a public signing of the budget bill as he has in years past. 

Expect state lawmakers to hang around until at least 12:01 a.m. Saturday, if Gov. Mike Easley hasn't decided what to do with the $21.4 billion state budget bill.

While the legislature's in session, Easley has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, or it becomes law. Those 10 days end at midnight Friday, said Gerry Cohen, the legislature's bill drafting director, Dan Kane reports.

But if the legislature closes the session before then, Easley has another 30 days to consider or reject the budget bill. If he vetoes, the legislature would have to be called back to vote to override the veto or produce another budget bill that's more to Easley's liking.

Legislative leaders say they would like to work out Easley's concerns. His staff say that he is seeking more money for his Learn and Earn education initiative that allows high school students to get a four-year college degree tuition free. They also say he has concerns about the record $857 million in borrowing authorized for construction projects.

Lawmakers do not have a lot of time to satisfy those concerns if they want to adjourn by the end of the week. Bills that spend more money typically need to be heard over three days.

If lawmakers can't finish their business this week, they are unlikely to wrap it up the next.

House Speaker Joe Hackney and 35 other House members, three senators and more than 25 legislative staffers are planning to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual conference in New Orleans which runs Tuesday through Friday.

Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, is president elect of the organization, which provides research and technical assistance to state legislatures.

Gov. Mike Easley's staff confirms that he is seeking more money for one of his education initiatives, but it's not More at Four.

He wants additional money to expand his Learn and Earn initiative that gives high school students the opportunity to earn a four-year college degree tuition free, Dan Kane reports.

His staff did not say how much he was seeking, but the state budget bill that lawmakers passed had cut $8.6 million from Learn and Earn's online education component.

Legislative leaders said that the component was not meeting Easley's projections for student usage. Lawmakers would likely have to add money through some kind of supplemental budget bill.

Easley also has held off signing the budget bill because he is concerned about the record $857 million in borrowing for construction projects, his staff said.

The short session is often about little more than the budget.

But as lawmakers returning to Raleigh Tuesday, they'll have a lot of long-term goals on their plate, including widespread problems with the state's probation system and mental health care and calls for better protection for poultry workers.

There are also demands for more roads and a push to raise teachers' pay to the U.S. average.

"We do have a lot of competing needs and a lot of competing expectations," said House Speaker Joe Hackney.

Hackney is pushing grants to help reduce the state's high school dropout rate. Senate leader Marc Basnight wants to put a bond before voters to provide hundreds of millions of dollars for new roads and buildings in the UNC system.

And Gov. Mike Easley wants to expand Learn and Earn, which allows high schoolers to get an associate's degree. (N&O) 

Hillary Clinton focused on education and economic development.

In a brief speech at N.C. State this morning, the Democratic presidential candidate spoke about North Carolina's efforts to promote business through better education.

She highlighted the biotechnology center at the state college, the Learn and Earn Program and the More at Four program.

After receiving the endorsement of Gov. Mike Easley, she said it was politically important, but it was also rewarding because of his economic efforts, which have led to North Carolina being third in biotechnology.

"It's great to have somenoe who really understands what we have to do to transform our country to be prepared for the 21st century," she said.

She noted that she and Easley worked in the past on the American Dream Initiative, which looked at how to encourage young people to attend college.

Clinton also name-checked state Rep. Alice Bordsen and Wake County Commissioner Lindy Brown. 

Gov. Mike Easley says that incentives are nice, but they aren't as important to economic development as education and workforce development.

Easley spoke Wednesday to nearly 800 people at the annual meeting of the N.C. Chamber at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro.

Easley said that the state has gone from 750,000 manufacturing jobs to 500,000. Yet, the state has diversified and picked up jobs across industries.

"All of this progress has been done with investments in knowledge, talent and skill," Easley said.

Easley also touted the state's Learn and Earn program. It allows students in high school to earn a diploma and a two-year associates degree in five years. The program is now available in every high school in the state through online courses.

"Every kid in this state can take two years of college online for free," Easley said.

Gov. Mike Easley plans to push several initiatives in his last year in office.

The two-term Democrat said Wednesday that he will push measures on mental health reform, highway improvement and health care.

He said he wants to expand the reach of his Learn and Earn program that helps children attend college. And he wants to find help for the worst drought in state history.

Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger warned that the recent dispute over illegal immigrants attending state community colleges could hurt Learn and Earn.

"I think that program runs the risk of getting tied up in the whole immigration debate, which I think in some ways could be unfortunate," he said. (N&O) 

Learn and Earn will soon be on the air.

The state and the College Foundation of North Carolina plan to air a public service announcement touting the new Web-based college program, the Charlotte Observer reports.

The program will allow students to take online college courses while still in high school. After five years, they would graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree.

At a national conference in Washington, D.C., Gov. Mike Easley said that the program will help address the fact that many high schoolers want more from their education.

"High school does not have a product the consumer wants," he said.