Coronavirus relief funding and teacher bonuses are central to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's supplemental budget proposal.

The proposed budget includes $695 million in state funding for coronavirus relief on top of more than $4 billion from the federal government. That federal funding comes from the relief bill passed by Congress in December.

"We can and will turn the corner on this pandemic and our communities can be even stronger than before. But for that to happen the way we want, we must make strong investments now to help people and businesses recover," Cooper said, presenting his proposal during a news conference Tuesday.

“I appreciate the work of legislators to quickly pass vital relief as the state responded to the pandemic last year and I believe we can work together to get the job done again. Our communities and people face serious challenges and we must come together to identify areas of common ground and help our people beat the pandemic and thrive once again,” the governor said.

The governor's proposal includes $700 million in federal funding to help with coronavirus vaccines and testing, along with contract tracing and other prevention measures.  

The budget proposes $2 billion in emergency federal funding to help K-12 schools, colleges and universities. The budget also includes bonuses for teachers and school staff.

"I am proposing one-time bonuses of $2,500 for teachers and principals, $1,500 for school personnel in public K-12 schools and $2,000 for workers in our community colleges and universities," Cooper said.

School staff and teachers are the only state employees who have not gotten a raise in the past two years, Cooper said.

"In the last year, our teachers and school staff, along with community college and university workers, have gone above and beyond. Teachers have always been our heroes, but throughout this pandemic they have underscored their courage and commitment to educating our children," Cooper said.

The federal money will also put $336 million into childcare and development block grants in North Carolina.

Cooper also proposed $50 million to continue hazard duty pay for police, prison guards and other state employees who face potential exposure to the virus every day.

The budget proposal also includes more funding for food assistance, including SNAP, food banks, and school meals. Cooper proposed adding another $546 million to a program giving emergency rental assistance.

Cooper's budget also has $30 million to extend broadband internet and 35,000 internet hotspots for education.

"We need a significant bond package for a long term fix and we will talk more about that as the legislative session progresses," he said.

The budget proposes increasing unemployment benefits from $350 to $500 per week and extend the maximum duration to 26 weeks.

"Even before the pandemic, North Carolina had some of the shortest and stingiest unemployment benefits in the country. Now is the time to fix this and provide a real safety net," the governor said.