news-record.com

House budget

From today's story on the House budget:

RALEIGH — Speeders, litterbugs and other scofflaws would pay more in fines and just about anyone who does business with the government would pay more in fees and taxes under a bill the full House could begin debating as soon as Friday.

In total, $88.7 million in new fees would be levied over the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, under the budget given its final committee approval shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

Click here for the whole thing.

Gerry Cohen, the head of the legislature's bill drafting department and author of Draft Musings, has posted the relevant documents online:

• Here's the main link to the bill, which Cohen says will be updated with floor amendments as they happen.
   
• Here's a link to more info at Cohen's blog.

We could actually get three days of debate on the budget bill. As I understand it - or at least what the Rules and Finance chairment were saying last night - the bill has to be amended today. House members need to officially patch the spending and tax provisions together. That would take the budget bill back to 1st reading. The House would have to do second and third reading votes (on separate days) either Friday and Saturday or next week.

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From Cohen this morning:

"They will vote on at least the four committee amendments today on the floor, second reading vote can not be until Friday as the major amendment from committee when adopted today on the floor will put the bill back to first reading."

For those who live outside the Jones Street orbit, each bill needs to get three readings before it is passed. Changes to bills that are considered "material," (read they raise taxes) reset bills to their first reading. Because of how this bill is put together, that reset will happen when the House votes the amendments today.

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Administrative note: I'll be off for a couple days. We'll see you back here on Monday.