Under the Dome: NC senator on budget, raises, biscuits and what his dad told him
Time to start your week in #ncga #ncpol with the latest episode of Under the Dome, our News & Observer politics podcast. Dawn Vaughan here, your host and state Capitol bureau chief.
On this episode for the week of June 12, 2023, I interviewed Sen. Todd Johnson, a Union County Republican. Our discussion ranged from policy to food, from the budget and sports betting to biscuits and Fort Liberty.
Johnson is on the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee and chairs one of the subcommittees.
We talked about budget priorities, including raises, and the timeline for passing the state budget.
“A lot of times there’s stuff that we want to fund, but we just simply don’t have the funds to do it. Or it doesn’t get prioritized to the level that we wish,” Johnson told me. “But I think we’ll probably end up with a budget and be out (of) here before July 1. ... We’ll see if it ends up that way.”
“I think raises are important every year, because this is how our state employees and teachers feed their families. And so we get into this push-pull with ... we would love to give as much as we possibly can, without getting back into situations (like in the past) where we’re laying folks off and hiring freezes and all that. So trying to again, strike that balance where we can sustain that,” Johnson said.
Listen to hear more about the budget, bill titles, and his family’s background at work and in politics.
Johnson talks about advice his dad gave him when he considered running for higher office, and what it was like being in local government — including being confronted in a grocery store.
Headliner of the Week
Listen to what Johnson’s favorite item in the Legislative Cafeteria is, and why it’s “that third one, that no one eats? Who eats it? I’m the one who eats that.”
Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. Spoiler alert: Johnson talks about the major sports betting legislation and I talk about the recent name change of the major Army post where I lived as a kid.
Listen to our latest episode below and catch up on previous episodes. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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