Lawmakers returned to Raleigh this week for the 2026 Short Session, and for state employees and retirees, the big question remains: when will there be a new state budget, and what does it mean for pay raises and retiree cost-of-living adjustments?

On opening day, SEANC sat down with House Speaker Destin Hall for a wide-ranging conversation on the 100th episode of The SEANC View Podcast. Hall talked about the budget outlook, proposed pay raises, retiree COLA, and health plan costs. The conversation also touched on staffing shortages among state troopers and in corrections, recruiting younger workers into state government, and how the House plans to balance tax cuts with funding for public services. Listen to the full episode by clicking the link below.

North Carolina is the only state in the country without a new budget, and disagreements over taxes and how big a raise to give state workers remain unresolved. Workers are going without the raises both chambers have promised in the meantime.

Hall said this week there’s still discussion about whether those raises will eventually be made retroactive or paid out as a one-time bonus. Despite the stalemate, Hall offered a cautiously hopeful outlook, saying, “We’re very likely to get a budget done, hopefully sooner rather than later.”

State employees and retirees have waited long enough. Click here to contact your legislators today and tell them it’s time to pass a budget that includes the pay raises and retiree COLA state workers have earned.