— A few lines in the $24 billion state budget moving through the General Assembly this week would give a former lawmaker a $52,000 raise.

Former Rep. Justin Burr lost his re-election bid last year in a Republican primary. He started as executive director of the state's Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council earlier this year after some back and forth in 2018 over just what the salary would be for a position the legislature created in 2017.

An effort to boost that salary eventually fell out of last year's budget, and Burr makes about $62,000 a year.

The proposed budget that won initial approval in both the House and the Senate on Wednesday would raise that salary to $113,057 and exempt the position from some of the state's human resources rules.

It's unclear who had this language added to the budget, which was put together by leadership in the House and the Senate. The Republican majority in both chambers is on board with the overall budget, but the specter of a veto looms from Gov. Roy Cooper, throwing its future into limbo.

Burr applied for the job last year and was interviewed for it the month after his primary loss, he said last year. He said at the time that the posted salary was lowered after he put in for the job. An attempt to reach him Wednesday afternoon, at the phone number and email listed for him on the Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council's website, was not immediately successful.

The Office of State Human Resources said last year that the position was reviewed while it was vacant and that it was reclassified to pay a salary more in line with a state agency of limited staff and scope.

The advisory council lists a team of three on its website, including Burr. It was created in 2015 to boost young people's interest in hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. It's funded by voluntary $2 contributions that people make when buying hunting and fishing licenses.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, noticed the salary increase in the hundreds of budget pages released Tuesday and called it out on Twitter and on the House floor, saying it's "highly irregular."

"It's offensive in light of all of the much more pressing needs our state faces," Harrison said.