With the adjournment of the current session for the NC General Assembly, the highly-discussed FY 24-25 budget bill still needs to be passed in both chambers. If passed, this budget would update last year’s FY 24-25 budget bill. It includes numerous financing adjustments to the childcare and education sectors. It would also impact government job structures. The main areas of difference between the House and Senate were:
Funding for childcare stabilization grants. Temporary federal funding for childcare providers expires on Monday, July 1st, so this funding would approve two months of temporary funding from the state to cover these losses.
Funding for families on the Opportunity Scholarships waiting list. There are currently 54,800 families on this list. This funding hinges on lawmaker's willingness to allocate state funds towards expanding voucher program for private schools.
The General Assembly will have the opportunity to vote on the budget bill during their returning sessions, but they will likely do so in late summer at the earliest. The current state budget remains in effect until a new one is approved.