Budget looms on horizon

With the deadline for the current continuing budget resolution quickly approaching, legislators in the N.C. General Assembly are scrambling to create a final budget or a new resolution by July 20.

But compromise between the Senate and House appears more difficult than anticipated.

Several issues continue to plague both houses, including the lottery and a half-cent tax difference on cigarettes.

Leadership meetings are continuing late into the night most weekdays as common ground is continuously being sought.

But a third party is impacting these meetings, greatly influencing the budget negotiations.

Gov. Mike Easley has met twice within the last two weeks with the leadership of the General Assembly as he continues to impact the debates.

“We’re working with the governor on all the issues that he feels are important,” said House Majority Leader Joe Hackney, D-Orange.

With the ability to veto the finalized budget, the governor carries considerable weight into such discussions.

One issue of great concern to the governor is the total amount of the taxpayers’ money spent in the budget, said Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland.

The Senate budget sits $16.3 million under the cap while the House version is $137 million above the figure.

“The governor has insisted we stay within the spending cap,” Rand said. “He’s asked us to honor the cap.”

But this remains only one of a wide variety of issues on which the governor continues to work.

“He’s monitoring the whole thing as to what we are working on,” Rand said.

Some still remain hopeful that the budget soon will be finalized, including Conference Committee Chairman Rep. Beverly Earle, D-Mecklenburg.

“I’m optimistic that we are going to vote on it by the 19th,” Earle said. “We are prepared to work between now and then.”

However long the process takes, the final results are most important, said Sen. Charlie Albertson, D-Duplin.

“We’ve got to be true to our ideals as North Carolinians,” Albertson said. “We’re just always trying to do things to move our state forward.”

With the possibility of prolonged debate on the budget, there could be a need for another continuing resolution, said Sen. Jeanne Lucas, D-Durham.

“I hope we don’t have to do that again, but we have to take care of the government,” Lucas said. “I wish we could have gotten out the day before yesterday.”

Which side will back down from such pivotal issues remains to be seen, said Sen. A.B. Swindell, D-Nash.

“It becomes a game of who blinks first,” Swindell said. “They could wrap it up in the next two weeks if somebody were to blink.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.