Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) lobbyists Betsy Bailey, Victor Barbour and Dave Simpson participated in a Jan. 25 virtual meeting with NC House Speaker Tim Moore and Rep. Dean Arp, Senior Chair of House Appropriations, that included other lobbyists and a look from the two legislative leaders into the current long session of the NC General Assembly.
Both leading state lawmakers expressed positive comments about bipartisan efforts to provide construction funding this year through what could be a combination of pay-as-you-go as well as bonds involving highway-heavy, building and utility work.
“To make sure we are investing in transportation, there are a lot of options out there…,” Moore said, adding that he did not support tax increases and increased fees for vehicle miles traveled. “I would expect to see a stand-alone bond bill and a Senate budget with capital projects.”
The long session of the NC Legislature, which began this month, is expected to stretch into the summer, CAGC reported on its website.
“Some additional good news came from the meeting when the two House leaders indicated that, unlike the last two years, they did not anticipate a budget stalemate this year between Republicans and Democrats,” CAGC reported.