“Overall, we are looking at passing a comprehensive budget,” Arp, R-Union, said in the hour-long virtual meeting attended by about 60 people online. “Everybody has the consensus that transportation is the issue.”
The CAGC reported that Arp said top funding priorities in priority order will be:
- COVID-19, “the issue in the state that everybody is dealing with.”
- Education, “incredibly troublesome” with what generally has been a two-year disruption in onsite classroom learning in the public and other schools.
- Transportation, “second to education,” as state lawmakers consider a bond package, pay-as-you-go capital funding and federal grants for transportation as well as building and utility construction. “We still have not gotten a consensus budget forecast with realistic, actionable projections,” he said.
Arp has been in the NC House since 2013. CAGC has recognized him with a Build with the Best Award.