North Carolina Governor Josh Stein signs $34.4 billion budget

Democratic Governor Josh Stein signed a $34.4 billion budget for fiscal 2026‑27, the largest spending plan in North Carolina history. The 634‑page plan provides hurricane relief for Storm Helene, salary increases for state workers, income‑tax cuts and earmarks for a range of projects, including a $90,000 grant for a pickleball court in Godwin, $30 million for upgrades to the First Horizon Coliseum, and nearly $31 million for the North Carolina Museum of History and other cultural institutions. Additional allocations fund wild‑horse conservation, equestrian programs and therapeutic horsemanship initiatives.

The budget also eliminates $3.24 million that had funded the Minority Male Success Initiative, a program that supported historically underserved male students at 21 community colleges. The initiative, later renamed the Student Success Initiative, will no longer receive state money, prompting colleges to reassess support services for those students. Governor Stein called the budget an investment in public safety, education and other services, while acknowledging its “real flaws.”