WRAL 15 minutes ago:

Senate tentatively approves $21B state budget

RALEIGH, N.C. ? The North Carolina Senate on Wednesday tentatively approved a $21.4 billion state budget, a plan that would spend more on higher education than the proposal that cleared the House two weeks ago. …

Democrats cut off discussion … before a single Republican was allowed to comment on the merits of the more than 200-page budget. …

“What we saw in there today was probably the worst example of how a democratically-elected representative body conducts business,” said Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. “Just the process by itself would be a reason to vote against it.”