Thakida Lee
Milestone One
Southern New Hampshire University
10/24/2024
The cost of living and the cost of expenses can hurt the economy if it is not monitored
carefully. This is an issue that many states are faced with and they have to come up with a plan
that will have satisfying results. The policy I selected is The State Budget Act. It was prepared
by the Office Of State Budget And Management also known as OSBM. “The North Carolina
Office of State Budget & Management (OSBM) delivers the highest quality budget development
and management services for state government.” (NC OSBM: About OSBM). This citation is in
reference to what OSBM stands for and what their job duty is. They created a plan for the State
of North Carolina, so that they can plan ahead and administer funds that are within their budgets.
“With Governor Roy Cooper's signature, North Carolina now has a new $27.9 billion state
budget that includes significant investment in education, economic development, and
transportation.” (Cooper signs a nearly $28B new state budget into law | WUNC). This citation
informs us that when it comes to determining the budget and administering them is in the hands
of the Governor. In this case, our governor Roy Cooper has this power.
This policy interests me because I have always questioned how our state funds certain
businesses and organizations and how our state receives funds from our government. I lived in
North Carolina all my life. I love my state and our people. Recently, our state had a major storm
which caused damage to many communities and its people. Our state has received some help to
help restore what was lost after the storm. “North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved an
additional $600 million of Hurricane Helene relief — a second round of aid that funds critical
infrastructure and services in the western mountains, but comes well short of what Gov. Roy
Cooper had requested.” (NC lawmakers pass $600M of relief in second round of Helene aid •
NC Newsline). This citation informs us how much funds were approved to help cover damages
and help people. However, it has been a pressing issue that there isn’t enough funds to cover all
costs. This has left many people struggling to survive and pick up the pieces that the storm left
behind. I know that in general the United States is in debt, we have been in debt for a very long
time and I don’t see us getting out of it anytime soon. With that being said, I wonder how each
state continues to provide funds to help its people. How, despite the lack of funds, is our state
able to continue to provide for its people?
With the State Budget Act, an intergovernmental relations is formed between state and
local levels or agencies.“Intergovernmental relations are also defined as an interacting network
of institutions at national, provincial, and local levels, created and refined to enable the various
parts of government to cohere in a manner more or less appropriate to the institutional
arrangements.” (Effective Leadership of Intergovernmental Relations | SpringerLink). This
citation defines the definition of IGR (Intergovernmental Relations) and why it is important for it
to exist. Because local levels or agencies are inside of the states region, they have to go by the
budget act as well. This policy is for North Carolina, so all locals that are within the state must
adhere to its policies. Because of the budget, the state has to fund state and local agencies that are
within the budget amount. Having a relationship between state and local levels or agencies are
important because you want to work together as a team in order to balance out the state’s
economy. Not being on the same page can cause major issues and it could lead to excessive
spending.
With the recent storm, the state has to put the disaster on the top of the list. Much of their
funding will go to those who were affected by the storm. Far as other funding for other local
levels or agencies, would have to be put on hold or have less funding than normal. “All state
agencies are included in the Governor's Recommended Budget. The legislative and judicial
branches are required to provide to the Director a financial needs estimate for the upcoming
fiscal period (G.S. 143C-3-1 and G.S. 143C-3-2), and all other state agencies are required to
submit budget requests for the upcoming fiscal period (G.S. 143C-3-3).” ( Budget Manual | NC
OSBM). This citation informs us that when it comes to funding needed from agencies, they are
to estimate the costs and report them. This is to help with determining what funds will be
administered and how it will affect the budget.
References
https://www.osbm.nc.gov/about-osbm
https://www.wunc.org/politics/2022-07-11/cooper-signs-a-nearly-28b-new-state-budget-into-law
https://ncnewsline.com/2024/10/24/nc-lawmakers-pass-600m-of-hurricane-helene-relief-in-
second-round-of-aid/#:~:text=North%20Carolina%20lawmakers%20on%20Thursday
%20approved%20an%20additional,short%20of%20what%20Gov.%20Roy%20Cooper%20had
%20requested.
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3597-1
https://www.osbm.nc.gov/budget/budget-manual#7AgencyEvents-829
