State Sen. Richard Stevens of Cary was one of three Republicans to support the Senate's $21.4 billion state budget proposal.
He said he disliked the way Democrats shut off debate on the legislation, but he voted for it because it contains no tax increases and the growth in spending over the current year — 3.4 percent — is less than that of inflation and population growth combined, Dan Kane reports.
"It's a conservative budget in terms of spending and it does a lot for education," Stevens said.
He also cited $50 million in tax relief, though the budget bill does not specify where that will happen. The Senate decided to pass several tax breaks in individual bills that may end up being incorporated into the final budget.
He said he was also pleased with the number of construction projects that the budget bill provides for the UNC system and for Wake County. They include $109 million for a new library at N.C. State University's Centennial Campus and another $5 million toward the N.C. Museum of Art's $72 million expansion.
Stevens is a former Wake County manager and a former chairman of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees. The other Republican senators supporting the budget proposal are Stan Bingham of Davidson County and Fletcher Hartsell of Concord.
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