Budget override swing votes: Hill

Rep. Dewey Hill, D-Columbus, says he will vote to override Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of the budget.

Posted 4:12 p.m. Jun 29, 2012 — Updated 4:39 p.m. Jun 29, 2012

Mark Binker

RALEIGH, N.C. — Rep. Dewey Hill, D-Columbus, voted to override Gov. Bev Perdue's budget veto last year and said Friday morning he would do the same this year.

"I'll be supporting the new budget," he said. When asked if that meant he would vote to override Perdue's veto, he said, "Yes sir."

Hill said that he would have rather seen Perdue, a Democrat, be able to compromise with legislative leaders. He said her calls for more money for education have been reasonable.

"I'm sorry she couldn't make headway with leadership," Hill said.

However, he said that the pay raises and increased spending for education that were included in the budget won him over.

"I like the budget. I wish it could have been more but I supported it," he said.

One caveat: In a story this morning, the News & Observer quoted Hill as sounding more supportive of Perdue on a potential budget veto. “They don’t have the votes to override, and they know it,” Hill told the paper. The same story later paraphrased Hill, saying, "Hill said Perdue did not give any hints what she would do, but he told a Perdue staff member he would be willing to vote to sustain a veto or to walk out of the room during the vote."

Suggest A Correction