As part of the $22 billion budget proposal that has made its way through the North Carolina House, the cap on light rail spending that was put in place at the end of the long legislative session last year has been removed.

The budget passed its third reading in the House on Thursday by a 103-12 margin and now awaits action in the state Senate.

When the House Transportation Committee was discussing removing the $500,000 spending cap on light rail projects earlier this month, it was clear there were still questions over how or why the cap was put in place at all. It was viewed as a “project killer” for the Durham-Orange Light Rail proposal, which will rely on 25 percent of the funding for the $1.6 billion project to come from the state.

The House also passed legislation to remove the cap last year, but it was not discussed in the Senate.

The House budget includes a two percent pay raise for most state employees and a salary bump for teachers that averages around four percent. The bulk of teacher raises is targeted to those in the middle of their teaching careers.

The full Senate will be back in session on Monday.