NC Senate Finalizes Bill with Millions of Dollars for Sporting Events
State senators approved a pair of budget correction bills Wednesday that do more than fix technical errors. The legislation includes millions of dollars in new spending for major sporting events and makes changes that would reduce some of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s authority.
One bill sets aside $40 million over the next four years for the PGA Tour if it agrees to keep its longtime tournament in Greensboro. It also includes up to $25 million for the Military World Games in Charlotte next summer, provided organizers can confirm that at least 50 countries will take part.
The legislation also changes how some state government positions are filled. Under one provision, some of Stein’s appointees to lead state agencies could be forced to step down if they don’t receive confirmation from the state Senate.
Another provision reshapes the Local Government Commission, the board that oversees local government finances, approves major borrowing requests and, in rare cases, can take control of struggling local governments. The bill removes two of the governor’s three appointments to the commission and replaces them with Republican-appointed members. It also removes Secretary of State Elaine Marshall from the commission, replacing her with another Republican appointee.
Marshall said there was no policy reason for removing her from the commission.
“The Secretary of State has been a member of the Local Government Commission since its inception in the earliest days of the Great Depression,” Marshall said. “I have fulfilled this obligation faithfully, fully, and with great rigor during my eight terms. Almost 30 years of valuable input and institutional knowledge was superseded by a purely political power grab.”
She also noted that, as the first woman elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina, she believes her removal carries additional significance.
Republican lawmakers did not publicly explain the change before approving it. After Tuesday’s vote, Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters he was not familiar with the specific reason Marshall was being replaced by an appointee he will now select.
The first budget corrections bill, House Bill 268, fixes errors in the state budget approved earlier this month. The second, House Bill 562, addresses additional errors found in House Bill 268. Senators also voted down a third corrections bill, Senate Bill 177, after Sen. Ralph Hise said it contained provisions that were no longer necessary.
