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RALEIGH – The North Carolina House of Representatives have overwhelmingly approved their version of the biennial state budget.

Among its highlights, the House budget proposes to increase new teacher pay from $41,000 a year to $48,000 for the next school year, and to $50,000 the following year.

It also includes an average 8.7 percent raise over two years for teachers and a 2.5 percent raise for state employees.

However, that $32.6 billion package for 2025-26 and 2026-27, which drew bipartisan support, did not come without its detractors. On its third and final reading on the House floor on Thursday of last week, the budget passed 86-20.

All Republicans present for the roll call voted in favor of the proposed budget, to include Rep. Bill Ward of District 5 (Camden, Gates, Hertford, and Pasquotank counties). The majority of the Democrats cast “aye” votes. Representative Shelly Willingham, a Democrat representing House District 23 (Bertie, Edgecombe, Martin), was among those in his political party showing a bipartisan effort.

Twenty Democrats, including Representative Rodney Pierce of House District 27 (Halifax, Northampton, Warren), voted against the measure. Pierce cited concerns about the budget’s failure to meet the needs of working families, retirees, individuals with disabilities, historically marginalized communities, and public school students.

“The budget is a reflection of our values and this budget simply does not value the people of House District 27 or many of our most vulnerable residents across the state,” said Rep. Pierce in a press release. “It prioritizes politics over people, and I could not in good conscience support it.”

Rep. Pierce opposed the budget’s lack of a meaningful cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for state retirees, who have gone years without sufficient increases despite rising inflation and living costs.

“Our state employees gave decades of service. They deserve dignity in retirement, not neglect,” he said.

Pierce sais another troubling aspect of the proposed budget was its failure to expand funding for Innovations Waivers, which support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He said demand for these services continues to grow, yet the legislature once again ignored the waiting list, leaving thousands of families without critical resources.

Meanwhile, he noted that the budget preserves over $1 billion in taxpayer funding for private school vouchers through the Opportunity Scholarship program. Pierce said there were multiple Democratic amendments, including those he supported, that would have reallocated a portion of Opportunity Scholarship funding to provide even more meaningful teacher raises, offer universal free breakfast and lunch for students, increase funding for students with disabilities, ensure every public school has a social worker, and fully fund Propel NC, the new community college funding model, with a recurring $40 million appropriation

“These are not partisan ideas, these are practical investments in our children and our future,” said Pierce. “But Republican leadership chose to fully fund private school vouchers while refusing to meet basic public education needs.”

Rep. Pierce also raised concerns about the budget’s draining of $976.5 million from the state’s Medicaid Reserve Fund, a vital source of stability as North Carolina continues the Medicaid expansion process.

“With growing uncertainty at the federal level around the future of Medicaid and the very real health needs of our communities, tapping nearly a billion dollars from this fund is fiscally reckless,” Pierce said.

He supported a Democratic-sponsored amendment that would have preserved $776.5 million in the reserve while allocating $200 million to the Helene Hurricane Recovery Relief Fund, which is urgently needed to help Eastern North Carolina communities rebuild and prepare for future disasters.

Rep. Pierce also condemned the elimination of several key equity-focused programs, including:

The Minority Male Success Initiative, aimed at closing achievement gaps for young men of color at community colleges.

The Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) within the Department of Administration, which ensures equitable access to state contracting for businesses owned by minorities, women and people with disabilities.

The Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Environmental Quality, critical to ensuring frontline communities are heard and protected in environmental decisions.

“This budget erases programs designed to level the playing field. That is unacceptable, especially for rural and historically under-resourced communities like those I represent,” he said.

When the House budget was considered in the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Pierce offered several targeted amendments to address needs specific to House District 27, all of which were voted down by the Republican majority. Those amendments were:

Funding for an additional historical interpreter and maintenance technician at Historic Halifax, a key state historical site.

Support for the Lake Gaston Weed Control Council to combat the spread of invasive hydrilla.

Funding for field trips to the Legislative Building, particularly for students from Tier I (economically distressed) counties.

Resources to add an additional public defender in Judicial District 7 to reduce caseloads and ensure timely access to justice.

“These are practical, community-driven requests,” said Pierce. “They would create jobs, preserve our history, protect our environment, and bring opportunity to young people in rural counties. Their rejection speaks volumes about the priorities of this budget.

“I am here to serve the people of eastern North Carolina, not the interests of private institutions or political agendas. I will continue to fight for equity, investment in public education, and policies that lift all communities, not just a privileged few,” Rep Pierce concluded.

With the House approving its version of the new budget, negotiations will now begin with the NC Senate on a compromise spending plan.