Legislature Musters Historic Veto Override

Special Report - June 16, 2011
In an unprecedented and historic move, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode a gubernatorial veto of the state budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, which makes North Carolina the third state in the nation to defund Planned Parenthood. In the wee morning hours of Wednesday, five Democrats joined the House Republican majority in a 73-46 vote to override the Governor’s veto of the state budget. Later Wednesday afternoon, the Senate’s Republican super-majority finalized that override with a 31-19 vote.

Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed the $19.7 billion dollar budget proposal crafted by the legislature on Sunday evening, making her the first governor in the state’s history to veto a budget proposal from the legislature. In a press release, Governor Perdue faulted the budget for having too many cuts to education, charging that the proposal “undermined our schools, community colleges, and universities.”

One of the more controversial provisions included in the budget is a provision that would end more than $430,000 in state funds from going to Planned Parenthood and their affiliates in the state. Despite several attempts to amend that provision out of the budget, it remained in the final version that will now go into law.

Legislative leadership, part of a Republican sweep that took over both chambers in the last election, have been quick to defend the budget, arguing that it “right-sizes” government and lessens the tax burden, by allowing the expiration of a temporary one-cent sales tax increase enacted two years ago.

Related resources:
Governor Vetoes State Budget - June 13, 2011
House Passes State Budget - May 6, 2011
House Takes Up Budget - April 29, 2011
Legislative Highlights - April 21, 2011

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