Stein focuses on public safety in push for $1.4B ‘critical needs budget’

With a focus on public safety, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein took the message of his $1.4 billion critical needs budget to Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte Thursday afternoon.

“Many of you know that North Carolina is the only state in the United States that did not pass a full budget last year, but you may not know that the state has not passed a full budget in 2.5 years,” he said during a press conference. “A growing, thriving state like North Carolina cannot just limp along. We face certain critical needs that require immediate attention. That’s why I have proposed, and the General Assembly must pass, a $1.4 billion critical needs budget. This critical needs budget includes $211 million going to urgent needs in public safety to keep people safe.”

The governor repeated many of the same talking points in his March 9 press conference, including that North Carolina ranks 49^th in the country for starting pay for state troopers and correctional officers, that there are more than 270 vacant trooper positions, and that the Department of Adult Corrections only has half of the officers needed to safely operate state prisons.

“We’re asking people to put themselves in a very demanding, albeit rewarding, job and asking their families to sacrifice on our behalf so that they can earn less money than they would if they worked at a Costco,” Stein said, repeating his call for a 10% increase in pay for all correctional officers, troopers, and other state law enforcement officers.

“Like many law enforcement agencies across the state and country, we’re facing real challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining the next generation of troopers,” said State Highway Patrol Trooper Whit Efird, who joined Stein, along with Brent Culbertson, chief of staff of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. “We must ensure that our compensation reflects both the responsibility of the job and the value our troopers bring to the people of North Carolina. Competitive pay is essential if we want to bring new recruits into the patrol and keep experienced troopers from leaving for other opportunities.”

He also said the Department of Corrections is facing a serious structural budget deficit, even after significant efforts to cut and manage expenses for the past year, noting that there are approximately 1,000 more inmates than three years ago, and that health care costs have increased by 10% over the past three years. At the March 9 press conference, the governor said the department needs $80 million to get back into the black and has been forced to ask vendors “to float them on their bills.”

Stein also called for the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) to be fully funded, pointing to a 21% increase in investigations over the past year, including for serious crimes like drug and human trafficking, financial crimes, hostage situations, and murder.

“It is ridiculous that the State Bureau of Investigation is being asked to operate in the red,” he said. “Entering the field of law enforcement is not a choice that anyone makes lightly. It’s hard work, it’s underappreciated work, it’s dangerous work, but it is meaningful and essential work. I urge the General Assembly to invest in our law enforcement officers because nothing is more important than keeping our people safe.”

Culbertson said that while the SBI’s budget has remained the same, their case load increased in 2025: 21% in investigations and 33% in processing crime scenes.

“Our activity has increased largely because we’ve been able to shift our focus back to proactively serving both our law enforcement partners and the citizens of this great state, so in order to continue our work and to keep supporting law enforcement partners, we need these valuable resources,” he said.

Other requests from the governor’s budget include:

• A 10% raise for state nurses and health care workers who treat people with severe mental illness.
• Starting teachers get a 13% pay increase.
• Give all teachers a 6% raise on average.
• Restore masters teacher pay and provide more pay increases to veteran teachers.
• Funding for the Medicaid rebase.

Demi Dowdy, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, responded in a press release to his March 9 press conference that Stein’s budget proposal raises serious concerns, and the governor’s proposed raises for teachers and law enforcement are less than those already passed by the House, including:

• An average 8.7% pay raise for teachers, compared to Gov. Stein’s proposed 6%.
• An average 13% raise for law enforcement officers, plus additional bonuses, exceeding the governor’s proposed 10%.
• A 2.5% raise for state employees, matching the level proposed by the governor.

“These critical investments cannot wait, and we urge the Senate to join us in passing these raises for all our state employees,” Dowdy said.

Joseph Harris, fiscal policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation, told Carolina Journal that while Stein’s proposal highlights legitimate funding pressures, particularly in Medicaid and public safety, some items may not be so pressing.

“While some items may address near-term needs, labeling the package ‘critical’ doesn’t necessarily mean every component is urgent,” he said. “Lawmakers will ultimately have to weigh these requests against long-term spending growth and competing budget priorities.” 

“Stein focuses on public safety in push for $1.4B ‘critical needs budget’” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.