RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers — a year late — took final votes to pass a state budget Thursday, sending the $34 billion bill to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s desk.

In the House, the final vote was 88-21 on Thursday. In the Senate, the final vote was 35-10.

Some Democrats in both chambers joined with Republicans, who have majorities in both, to pass legislation that would give overdue raises to thousands of teachers and state employees, with the highest raises for starting teachers and law enforcement.

The House and Senate each approved the measure in key votes on Wednesday after debate. In the Senate, two Republican senators voted against the bill because it includes tolls on coastal ferries, which have been free. But in the final Senate vote on Thursday, Sen. Bobby Hanig was absent from the vote, and Sen. Norman Sanderson voted for it.

In the first vote, Republicans in the House, who all voted in favor, were joined by 23 Democrats, with the other half of Democrats voting against it. Both independent House members voted in favor. In the Senate’s first vote, nine Democrats voted in favor, with 11 against.

Those margins are enough for lawmakers to handily override a veto from Stein, if he chooses to veto the bill. House Speaker Destin Hall told reporters on Wednesday evening that the support of Democrats is an indicator that Stein will not veto the bill.

Democratic Rep. Amos Quick likened his support of the bill to unenthusiastically eating fast food when he’d rather have a healthy meal. But he, and other Democrats who voted for the bill, favored just getting the job done and raises out quickly.

Rep. Brandon Lofton, a Mecklenburg County Democrat who voted against the budget, said while the raises in the bill are important, he opposed it because the state passes down too many funding needs to local governments.

Democrats criticized the yearlong delay of the budget. On Thursday, Rep. Donny Lambeth, a top Republican budget writer from Winston-Salem, said that other states finish their budgets in the spring, not the summer, and that future North Carolina budgets should aim for that, too.

Raises effective in July if budget becomes law

If Stein signs the bill, or lets it become law without his signature after 10 days, raises are coming as fast as the government can process them. The legislation gives an effective date of the raises of July 1, with bonuses coming this fall.

Retirees will get a 2.5% one-time bonus, and teachers and state employees will also get bonuses. Raises — an average 8% for teachers — and 3% for most employees should arrive in a matter of weeks. Various law enforcement workers are set to receive double-digit raises, with some on new salary scales.

Lawmakers passing another budget bill with changes

Just before the House debate Thursday, lawmakers revealed what is called a technical corrections bill, meaning a small budget bill that makes some changes for errors or other funding adjustments in the main budget bill.

It includes a provision that sworn law enforcement officers in the State Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol Law Enforcement will receive raises of 13% if they did not already receive the double-digit raises laid out in new salary scales.

The technical corrections bill would also repeal one staffing provision completely from the budget. The budget bill had proposed eliminating any vacant position in the Department of Adult Correction in non-healthcare divisions if it has been vacant for more than one year. A budget document showed that 574 full-time equivalent positions would have been eliminated, amounting to a $40.3 million spending reduction.

The bill passed the House, 88-17 and the Senate, 30-13. Democratic Sen. Gale Adcock, who voted for the main budget bill, opposed the corrections bill because she objected to shifting money away from a workforce program.

Now both budget bills are on Stein’s desk.

—Reporter Esther Frances contributed to this story.

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