On the money: Q&A with N.C. Rep. Nelson Dollar

Nelson Dollar was instrumental in the passage of the most recent North Carolina state budget. He gave an interview to state and national editor Cole Stanley on Tuesday. Read an additional interview with representative Verla Insko concerning the new budget here.

Daily Tar Heel: What would you say were the key pieces to this most recent budget?

Nelson Dollar: I think we really focused on taking a more fiscally responsible approach. We ensured we would be saving more.

Two-thirds of the budget is now spending, which will help further our economic rebuild.

We are also quite proud of raising our average teacher’s salary over $60,000 as well as our work to repair and rebuild our infastructure. Highways and airports were always a particular concern of ours and we finally got that done.

DTH: I know tax reform is one of your key policy issues. How do you feel the average working family will be affected by changes made in this budget?

ND: Well we’re going to continue to work hard to help our working families. We raised the standard deduction from $15,500 to $17,500.

And of course, fiscal policy which is more responsible on all fronts promotes a stronger economy, which helps people in all tax brackets.

DTH: How do you think this budget affected UNC, specifically?

ND: I think the University fared well in this budget.

We capped the tuition so that students will know when they enter school how much their tuition will cost all four years.

We also have improved our product at our border schools like Western Carolina which will allow us to better compete for top students with other states like Tennessee and South Carolina.

DTH: One aspect of the budget that has drawn praise from people on both sides seems to be prison reform. Could you give me a little insight into what has changed?

ND: There has certainly been a shift to focus more on rehabilitation. There have also been new policies put in place to limit the amount of time someone can stay in prison.

And most importantly we put into place a three-year plan to raise the salaries of correctional officers.

These are people that go to their jobs and encounter danger on a daily basis. Rewarding them for that certainly will result in a higher quality correctional system overall.

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