The state House’s budget bill released this week would do more than spend state revenue; there are some controversial policies included in the legislation.
Medicaid expansion won’t take effect until the budget bill becomes law. That gives the GOP more leverage to add policies that might otherwise be opposed by Democrats and Governor Roy Cooper.
One House provision would ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates for government workers and students. The bill would also give the governor less authority over the State Bureau of Investigation and the budget would ban the governor’s administration from enacting cap-and-trade requirements for carbon emissions.
Republican Representative Dean Arp developed that provision.
“It prevents our state from going down a failed energy policy that raises rates and reduces reliability," he said.
But Democratic Representative Pricey Harrison thinks it should be in a separate bill.
He said, “It would be good to have a deliberation on that in a committee versus a provision in the budget.”
The House budget bill will get its first vote on Wednesday.