Monday wrap: Budget deal reached

After weeks of negotiations, the House and Senate unveiled a compromise budget late Sunday, setting the stage for Tuesday and Wednesday votes to send the spending plan to Gov. Pat McCrory.

Posted 10:59 p.m. Jul 22, 2013 — Updated 10:59 p.m. Jul 22, 2013

RALEIGH, N.C. — After weeks of negotiations, the House and Senate unveiled a compromise budget late Sunday, setting the stage for Tuesday and Wednesday votes to send the spending plan to Gov. Pat McCrory.

The House got $10 million for victims of the state's former eugenics program after pushing for it in recent years, while Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger got his proposal to eliminate teacher tenure. The two-year budget also includes $20 million for school vouchers so low-income students can use state money to attend private schools.

Also Monday, the House approved legislation calling for North Carolina to join with other states in opening up offshore energy exploration and allowing hydraulic fracturing natural gas drilling. But a key provision for the so-called "fracking" drilling process, which would allow drilling firms to keep the combination of chemicals they use secret, was derailed when the House refused to agree with the Senate's version of a wide-ranging regulatory reform bill.

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