State Lawmakers Begin Budget Process

Budget subcommittees will begin meeting in Raleigh on Tuesday as state legislators begin their work to put together a roughly 20 billion dollar budget. A number of appropriations subcommittees are scheduled to meet this morning as the official public beginning of the budget-making process.

It's estimated it will take legislators about two months to come up with lists of what to cut and what to keep. There is a small surplus so far this year, but exactly what that number is won't be clear until after April 15th, when the state will have its most accurate revenue numbers. Governor Pat McCrory is expected to come out with his recommended budget in March.

The Senate will take up the budget first this year, probably in early April, and then pass deliberations to the House in May. Lawmakers say they're expecting to finish the process by June.