The Batch Brief (October 10, 2025)
Welcome to The Batch Brief!
We’re now 102 days past the deadline for a state budget and the consequences of that delay are no longer theoretical. They’re real, they’re urgent, and North Carolina families are paying the price.
As we head deeper into the fall, I want to thank you for staying engaged and informed. People across our state are doing everything right by working hard, raising families, pursuing education, and giving back, and they deserve a government that meets the challenges of this moment with real leadership and real solutions. That’s exactly what Senate Democrats are fighting for every day.
Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s Batch Brief:
🧾 102 Days Without a Budget
🗣️ SaySo NC Visits the General Assembly
🔬 District 17 Spotlight: Biogen at 30
The State Budget is Now 102 Days Late — and North Carolinians Are Paying the Price
As you read this, we are now at least 102 days past the deadline for a comprehensive state budget. While you may have heard that the legislature has passed a few “mini-budgets” to patch over immediate crises, North Carolina is still operating without a full spending plan and the consequences of that failure are growing everyday.
Under the current continuation budget, salaries for public school teachers, university staff, and state employees remain frozen. Child care centers across the state are struggling to stay open. Rural hospitals are being shortchanged, and families relying on Medicaid are facing care disruptions. And even though our public universities are welcoming more and more students, they’re doing it without the funding they need to meet demand.
There’s no other way to say it. This piecemeal approach to budgeting is failing North Carolina families, and every day we delay a comprehensive budget is another day we fail to meet the needs of a growing state in a challenging economy.
Leader Batch and the Senate Democratic Caucus will continue fighting for a full, responsible budget and are ready to get back to the legislature to pass one today. Our state deserves better, and the people of North Carolina are tired of the delay and games being played by Senator Phil Berger and the NCGOP.
SaySo NC Visits the State Legislature
This week, Leader Batch had the opportunity to meet with a remarkable group of young leaders from SaySo NC as part of the Governor’s Page Program. SaySo — Strong Able Youth Speaking Out — is a statewide association of youth who are or have been in the substitute care system, including foster care, group homes, and therapeutic placements.
During their visit, the students spoke candidly about their lived experiences and the changes they hope to see in North Carolina’s child welfare system. Their insights touched on many of the same issues Senator Batch has long championed from increasing support for youth aging out of care, to improving mental health resources and ensuring every child has a safe, stable environment to call home.
Senator Batch was grateful for the chance to hear directly from these youth advocates and encouraged them to continue speaking out and pushing for change. Their voices are powerful reminders of why policy decisions must be informed by those with lived experience.
SaySo NC continues to lead the way in empowering young people to educate, advocate, and build stronger communities across the state.
District 17 Spotlight: Biogen Celebrates 30 Years in the Triangle and Invests in the Future of Biotech
Biogen just hit a major milestone! They’ve been a part of the Research Triangle community for 30 years now, but instead of just looking back at this anniversary, they’re using the occasion to pay-it forward.
At an event in Morrisville, Biogen marked the anniversary by announcing a $250,000 investment in workforce training at Durham Technical Community College. The funds will support the new Novo Nordisk Life Sciences Center, a cutting-edge facility designed to train hundreds of students each year for high-demand jobs in biopharma manufacturing.
This is a very big deal, because North Carolina’s biotech sector is booming and companies like Biogen, Amgen, and Novo Nordisk need skilled workers to fill thousands of new jobs in the years ahead.
Biogen has already seen success hiring graduates from the Durham program — and now they’re helping expand it with a new Biogen Lab Hall inside the 35,000-square-foot training center.
Leader Batch, along with Sen. Gale Adcock, Governor Josh Stein, and Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt were all on hand to celebrate the anniversary and major announcement.
Ways to Contact the Office of Leader Batch
📍 Office: North Carolina General Assembly, 16 W. Jones St., Rm. 1026, Raleigh, NC 27601
📞 Phone: 919-733-5653
📧 Email: Sydney.Batch@ncleg.gov
Connect on Social Media
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