On Friday, September 22nd, the North Carolina General Assembly have final approval to NC House Bill 529, the Current Operations Act of 2023. More commonly referred to as the 2023-25 NC State budget, this document includes a number of well publicized spending priorities, like raises for State employees and educators, early childhood development, and affordable housing. The passing of the budget also triggered Medicaid Expansion for North Carolina, which will go into effect December 1st, and stands to benefit patients and heath care providers across the State.

Statewide priorities are only part of the story, and on this week's Mind Your Business, NC House District 93 Representative Ray Pickett provides an update on specific budget inclusions that will have a direct impact on Watauga County. He also discusses NC General Assembly priorities, such as enrollment growth for Appalachian State University, future budget wishes, and plenty more.

Mind your Business is produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible each week by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate and sponsored in part by UNC Health Appalachian.