Document Actions
Tuesday: "Optimism Reigns"
posted at 2007-07-24 23:50 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Today was White Smoke Eve - the day House and Senate budget negotiators absolutely must either get it together, or agree they need more time. As of midnight, we still don't know which it'll be.
After a day of talks with Senate Pro Tem Marc Basnight, House Speaker Joe Hackney was more upbeat than ever tonight when we caught up with him after a caucus meeting. As he put it, nothing's "tied down" yet, but "optimism reigns."
For a full accounting of what went on, check in with Mr. Binker - but in a nutshell, Hackney said the two sides have made enormous progress over the past 24 hours - though it sounds like the transfer tax issue remains up in the air. Hackney wouldn't comment on that or most other specifics, except to say that the finance folks are sorting things out.
Hmmm. Binker's more optimistic than I am, I guess. Legendary former AP reporter (now gone to the dark side of flackdom) Dennis Patterson had a theory about equilibrium in budget talks: the "MF moment. " In short, the theory is that budgets don't get resolved till someone on one side stands up and calls someone on the other side...well, you figure it out.
Anyway, I don't think we're there yet. But I'd never be happier to be wrong. So cross your fingers.
Under the wire
This is by far the busiest time of year on Jones St. First, the budget is being hammered out, so lots of lobbyists have pretty much set up cots for the duration. But there's the added impetus of the committee shutdown scheduled for the end of the week. I asked Hackney tonight whether committees would re-open for business if there's a second continuing resolution. Hackney said he "wouldn't think so":
I mean, there might be special cases where you need have a Finance committee meeting or something like that, but I think the general feeling is that most of the stuff that needs to be dealt with in committee either has been or is being dealt with this week. Our committee chairs are not complaining about our self-imposed deadline for committee meetings, and I don't think they are on the Senate side, either.
So essentially, any new stuff (and most of the old stuff, too) is pretty much dead for the year. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - though you're bound to see that differently if you're backing a bill that still hasn't seen the light of day.
On the other hand, though, if there's another extension, about 150 legislators will be collecting their per diems for nothing while 20 or so leaders battle it out in room 612. That doesn't seem quite right to me, either.
And about those committees
Tomorrow is literally triple- or quadruple-booked all day long. You can find a full schedule here .(be patient - it takes awhile to load) - but suffice it to say there's a whole lot of "very important legislation" burning rubber at the red light.
Most major committees are meeting twice a day for hours, cranking through all the bills they can get copies of. Meantime, lobbyists and advocates will be flitting from room to room, chugging coffee, rubbing their feet, and fantasizing about a new career in golf course maintenance.
NC Green?
The state Senate gave the nod today to a measure by Wake Dem Janet Cowell aimed at improving the energy efficiency of state government and university buildings. It would require any new building to meet pretty stringent conservation standards for both energy and water. S668 would also require retrofits in older buildings - from faucet aerators to compact fluorescent lighting to LED exit signs. It even mandates unplugging the lights inside soda vending machines.
Cowell urged her fellow senators today to "Walk the walk," saying the measure would cost about $5M upfront, but would yield at least $150M in savings by 2020. But not everyone's sure the proposal is good news for the state's bottom line. Senate GOP leader Phil Berger said he voted against the bill because the costs aren't clear, and because it seems like an overkill bill - more about making people feel good than finding the smartest way to cut the state's $300M utility bill. His comments are here.
The measure passed the Senate easily with only five dissenting votes. It's now headed to the House, where, given the tight timelines for committee action, its future is nowhere near certain...this year, anyway.
Comments? Drop me a line.
