RALEIGH, N.C. — With less than two years left in his second term, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper gave a State of the State speech Monday night that served as both his highlight reel and message to Republicans about what they’ll fight over this legislative session.
The event is high on pomp and circumstance, with senators making a formal entrance into the House chamber for a joint session, followed by N.C. Supreme Court justices, Council of State members, other dignitaries and the governor himself.
Before a General Assembly that is majority Republican, the Democratic governor talked about building up the state for “enduring prosperity,” touting job growth and clean energy as well as reaching the cusp of passing Medicaid expansion.
Cooper claimed a share of credit along with Republicans, business and workers for North Carolina being named as the No. 1 state for business by CNBC in 2022.
“You legislators deserve some credit for that,” Cooper said, to laughter and bipartisan applause.
“My administration deserves some credit for that. Our business community deserves some credit for that. But we all know who deserves the bulk of the credit: those who make up our amazing workforce – the determined, dedicated and diverse people of North Carolina.”
He also spoke against tax cuts. Republicans have been phasing out the income tax at the corporate level and lowering it at the individual level. Republicans credit lower tax rates as one of the reasons the state is attractive to business.
Cooper talked about the role of diversity and inclusion, as part of the workforce and in education, in bringing business to the state.
“Avoiding the worst of the culture wars these past six years has also been good for business. We worked together in a bipartisan way to fully repeal the horrible bathroom bill the first year I took office,” Cooper said, referring to House Bill 2, which became law during former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration. Cooper defeated McCrory to become governor in 2016. The state lost millions in revenue as sports organizations and others took their business elsewhere as a result.
Cooper said the state should stay “off the front lines of those culture wars that hurt people and cost us jobs,” appearing to reference two pending pieces of legislation: the Parents’ Bill of Rights that regulates instruction about LGBTQ issues, and the anti-Critical Race Theory bill that regulates how race is taught in public schools.
“Use public schools to build a brighter future, not to bully and marginalize LGBTQ students. Don’t make teachers rewrite history,” he said.
Last speech was during COVID-19
It’s a different era than his last State of the State speech, in April 2021, as the state pulled out from the coronavirus pandemic.
Cooper briefly mentioned it: “Each generation has but so many chances to leave an indelible mark on history that benefits the generations to come. And so often, our greatest advancements come after our greatest upheavals. War, protests, strife, disasters, pandemic.”
“To find ourselves as state leaders at a time like this, is to bear a tremendous responsibility. A responsibility to learn from adversity and make things better. A responsibility that reaches far into our future,” Cooper said.
Because of term limits, Cooper will leave the Executive Mansion ahead of the next State of the State, which will be given by whomever is elected in 2024. So far, Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is the only candidate, and likely frontrunner, from Cooper’s party. Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who serves as Senate president and has repeatedly mentioned his interest in becoming governor, gave the recorded Republican response.
Education spending and the budget
Cooper spoke about infrastructure upgrades across the state and announced that his budget proposal would fully fund the long-running Leandro court case’s education spending plan.
“We have the money this year and next to fund the plan. And if we’re smart about our tax policy, we can fund it into the future,” he said.
The state is expecting a $3.25 billion surplus this year, which is one-time money, as opposed to recurring funds used for raises.
“The budget I will present to you invests in the entire education plan ordered by the court. It gives teachers and principals double-digit raises, it keeps the buses running, it helps kids with special needs, it keeps schools safe, it does not raise taxes, and it balances the budget,” Cooper said.
The General Assembly’s budget writers — Republicans in both House and Senate, as they have control — expect Cooper’s budget proposal on March 15. Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Winston-Salem Republican and one of the House’s head budget writers, said the House could pass its budget by early April, and if the optimistic track prevails, send a budget to Cooper’s desk by mid-June.
Republican response by Lt. Gov. Robinson
Robinson, who as president of the Senate presided over the joint session of the General Assembly on Monday night, gave the Republican response, which was recorded before Cooper’s speech. Robinson talked about his difficult childhood and how he just earned his degree from UNC-Greensboro.
Robinson earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the university in December, according to UNC-Greensboro. He was enrolled from the fall 2014 term until fall 2022.
Robinson has mentioned in many speeches that he is interested in running for governor, but has yet to declare his candidacy. He did not Monday night, either.
He talked most about education.
“One way to continue growing our economy is supporting quality education,” Robinson said. “I’m passionate about making sure North Carolinians are maximizing their potential and can follow their dreams. Teachers have one of the most important jobs in our society. We must hold them to professional standards, and we must pay them as the professionals they are.”
He also broached, without specifically mentioning the proposals, what Cooper referred to as “culture wars” legislation.
“We need to quit asking them to be police officers, social workers, and parents,” he said of teachers. “Their job is to teach, plain and simple. And what should they be teaching our students? They should be teaching our students how to think – not what to think – ensuring that personal or political ideologies stay out of the classroom and that we get back to the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.”
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