State Rep. Deborah Ross has her eye on education.
The Raleigh Democrat says her biggest goal for the budget is a raise for teachers and state employees, though she did not have a specific amount in mind.
"I don't want to give a number because then they'll be mad at me because I didn't say a high enough number," she said. "I'm hoping that we can do as well as we did last year."
In the 2007-08 budget, teachers, UNC faculty and community college instructors received a 5 percent increase, while most state employees got a 4 percent raise.
Ross said she also hopes to land the rest of the funding for the Green Square project in downtown Raleigh, increase the contribution to the Housing Trust Fund to $50 million a year, add consumer protection measures on foreclosures and put a transportation bond before voters.
She also wants more funding for domestic violence shelters and other changes.
"We want to reduce the number of violations of domestic violence protective orders you need before it's considered a felony," she said.
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