Long-overdue NC budget proposal expected to be finalized Monday

Cooper has suggested he could sign it into law, even though he wouldn't get everything he wants – in particular, Medicaid expansion.

Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, a top budget writer in the House, and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger's office confirmed that votes are expected on a two-year state government budget worked out between the two chambers.

Cooper has provided lots of input that should end up in the final legislative bill.

A statement posted on Cooper's Twitter handle Wednesday said that Republican leaders have informed him that the budget being released this week will contain a “number of the governor's priorities that were proposed in his budget and discussed in negotiations over the last few weeks, including increased education funding."

An approved final measure would then go to Cooper's desk for his review. In contrast to the 2019 budget talks, when the absence of Medicaid expansion contributed to a Cooper veto and caused a stalemate that never got fully resolved, the governor is keeping options open.

After reviewing the plan, Cooper “will make a decision to sign or veto the budget based on what is best for the people of North Carolina," the tweet said.

Pat Ryan, a Berger spokesperson, also said he expects action on the budget next week. Except for specifics on the plan's release date, he didn't take issue with the contents of Cooper’s tweet.

Saine said Cooper's willingness to sign the measure reflects what Saine considers the serious budget negotiations that have been held since Moore, R-Cleveland, and Berger agreed six weeks ago on their first offer to the governor.

“No one has left mad. No one has left upset. ... No one has gotten everything they wanted,” Saine said. "It looks to me that, because of that, he is going to seriously consider signing the budget."

Republicans also may have more leverage compared to 2019 because of the levels of Democratic support for the original House and Senate budget bills approved in the summer. Republicans probably would need the votes of only three House Democrats and two Senate Democrats to override a Cooper veto.

Saine said he was fairly confident of a successful override, in part because Democrats who voted for the original legislative budgets have been involved in crafting a final package that's “got a lot for everybody.”