Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) speaks at a press conference on June 10, 2026, marking 1,000 days since the last state budget was passed. (Photo: Claire Michal/NC Newsline)
Nearly 1,000 days since the North Carolina legislature passed its last budget, state Senate Democratic leaders gathered to express frustration Thursday morning that the body is still failing to fulfill its most fundamental function.
Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake), Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake), and Sen. Michael Garrett (D-Guilford) spoke about how the legislature’s failure to pass a budget has affected state employees. The senators called for wage increases for state workers that account for inflation and increased health insurance costs, and address vacancies within state agencies. They also called for funding for small business loans and assistance for workers displaced by AI.
Grafstein addressed the need for better compensation for state employees, particularly for state corrections officers who are facing widespread vacancies. She said a state correctional officer told her they showed up to work to discover that only three people were assigned to a shift that normally required 25 people.
“These are the people this legislature has been leaning on for 15 years, asking them to do more with less, asking them to absorb the cuts,” Grafstein said. “‘Wait a little longer, the budget is coming,’ they keep being promised.”
Senate Bill 995 – sponsored by Grafstein and Batch – includes a one-time salary increase for law enforcement and correctional officers, and requires hazard pay of $3,000 dollars for correctional officers when operating below 70% of authorized staffing levels.
Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, said that without raises, state employee pay has fallen behind rising inflation and healthcare costs. She said that’s the reason for mass vacancies within state departments.
“We have huge vacancy crises in these jobs simply because we can’t recruit at the pay we’re offering now,” she said.
Garrett spoke to Senate Bill 1056, which would establish a framework for the state to support loans to small businesses from underserved areas who are otherwise unable to secure the capital necessary to start or sustain their business. He also touted Senate Bill 988, which would set aside funding for workers who lose their jobs due to artificial intelligence or automation to help them pay for training or other accreditation programs.
Batch said that these bills will not pass, but are still important to demonstrate that some elected officials are still standing up for the issues she says are important to everyday North Carolinians.
“We are not standing here today because we think we can force Republicans to act.” She said, “We know how this chamber works, unfortunately. But we are standing here because the people living with these consequences deserve to know that somebody in this building does care about them and is trying to help them.”
Last month, House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) announced what they called a “framework” for a budget deal. They said they had agreed that teachers will receive an average 8% raise over two years, bringing the starting teacher salary without supplements to $48,000. They also announced an average 3% increase in salary for state employees, while law enforcement and correction officers would see minimum raises of 13% over two years.
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Watkins said these raises don’t fill the gap left by three years without a pay increase. She said that’s discouraging current employees from staying with the state and keeping prospective employees away.
“We don’t want the cheapest people we can find who will accept being treated badly,” she said. “We want experienced, capable employees who know their worth.”
As the days dwindle down to finalize a budget for this session, Batch said that Democrats have not been included in budget negotiations. She said they were told to submit their requests to Republican leaders, and haven’t heard back since.
Berger and Hall set an initial goal of having a finalized budget by the week of June 15th, but earlier this week, Berger expressed uncertainty that they would be able to meet that timeline. However, he said he and Hall remain optimistic that the legislature will pass a budget before the end of the month.
“We both feel like we’re on track to get the budget taken care of this month, and we are hopeful that it continues to be the case,” Berger said.
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