The Appropriations Committee of the North Carolina House of Representatives wants the input of the public when it comes the state budget.

A public hearing is planned for today from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the auditorium of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh on Fayetteville Street. Ten community colleges across the state will host interactive broadcasts of the hearing and it will also be streamed live on the Internet.

Members of the public may offer suggestions and comments at the live locations. Signup for speakers will begin at 5:30 p.m. at all of the live video sites. Each speaker will have two minutes.

The community colleges that will serve as host sites are Johnston Community College, Smithfield; Bladen Community College, Dublin; Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte; Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville; Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem; Pamlico Community College, Grantsboro; Southwestern Community College, Sylva; Surry Community College, Dobson; Vance-Granville Community College, Henderson; and Martin Community College, Williamston.

Visit this site for contact information and driving directions to each campus.

Members of the public who cannot attend a live video site, may offer suggestions and comments by the following methods:

E-mail: Town.Hall@NCLEG.NET (Until midnight); Online: at this address (until midnight); fax: (919) 754-3328 (until midnight); and by mail:

House Appropriations Committee

Suite 401, LOB

300 N. Salisbury Street

Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 (If postmarked by April 29)

The meeting will also be streamed live at this Web site. The site will not be activated until the meeting starts at 6 p.m.