A bill that would allow Mecklenburg County voters to decide on a sales tax increase has passed the North Carolina House. The additional one-percentage point tax would go to fund billions of dollars in road and transit improvements, including the Red Line commuter train to north Mecklenburg.
The bill now heads to the state Senate. Senate leader Phil Berger said he expects it to move through the chamber, though the exact timing is unclear.
"I expect us to take it up when it comes over. I don't know that we're gonna have the runway to finish it this week is the only challenge and so we'll have to ...see what happens when it gets over here," he said.
The state House and Senate are also trying to iron out a new budget, as well as potential veto overrides of bills tightening immigration enforcement and allowing concealed weapons without a permit.