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RALEIGH — Here ye, hear ye: The N.C. General Assembly is coming to town.

How much is the trip worth as a taxpayer? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

On May 22, the House and Senate will meet in session on A&T's campus at the Harrison Auditorium to help celebrate Greensboro's 200th anniversary.

"It's an opportunity for the state to see what we have here in Greensboro, and it's also a celebration of our bicentennial," said Sen. Katie Dorsett, a Greensboro Democrat. She and Rep. Alma Adams, also a Greensboro Democrat, led the effort to bring a General Assembly session to the city.

Greensboro officially begins celebrating its bicentennial March 25.

The General Assembly has hit the road seven times since 1987, according to Denise Weeks, the House principal clerk. Of those, two were unofficial sessions and in one case only the House traveled. The last three road trips:

lMarch 2007, the General Assembly celebrated East Carolina University's 100th anniversary by holding session in Greenville.

lMay 2005, the House traveled to Edenton to recognize the historical significance of the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse.

l March 2005, the General Assembly traveled to Bath to celebrate the 300th anniversary.

The session in Greensboro will be official, with votes taken, bills referred to committee and, if history serves as a guide, more than a little speechifying. It's also open to the public.

"It's just like we were sitting right here in Raleigh," Weeks said.

Well, maybe not exactly.

The House and the Senate will sit in the same auditorium. In Raleigh, the two bodies occupy chambers across the hall from each other. And they won't have their electronic voting system with them, which means all votes will be recorded by voice or roll call.

Still, when the House visited Edenton, eight official votes were taken.

It's expected the two chambers will handle at least one piece of official business: a joint resolution honoring the city of Greensboro on its 200th anniversary.

Dorsett said the trip would be a chance for legislators to tour A&T's campus and check out other parts of Greensboro.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com