Gov Bev Perdue (D-NC): Fund All Teachers, Cut Corporate Taxes

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue told a Republican-controlled Legislature on Monday that she'll offer a budget proposal this week to pay for every current state-funded position in public schools while reducing corporate tax rates to the lowest in the Southeast.

In her second State of the State address before a joint session of the Legislature, Perdue said she wants to lower the corporate tax rate from 6.9 percent to 4.9 percent while offering more robust incentives for small business and "green" industries.

She said the state is recovering from the economic woes it faced a year ago, but still needs to be more competitive when fighting with other states and countries to recruit new industries.