Not all that much happened (in session, at least) at the legislature today.  It’s too early for many bills to have moved through committee to reach the floor…and from here at least, it doesn’t look as though many will.

I wish I had a nickel for every time today I ran across a lobbyist on a cell phone, explaining to some anxious client that “X issue is already in the budget, so introducing a duplicate bill would just complicate things.” 

Sure, we get the same message from the leadership every session:  “We’re here to adjust the budget, we’re making good progress, and we expect to be done on time.”  But this time, it’s pretty clear that said leadership has lit the afterburners under the rank and file: they’re here to a) do the budget and b) go home.  Period.

There’s at least one good explanation for that:  Five Senators (Dems Kay Hagan, Bev Perdue, Walter Dalton, Janet Cowell, and Rep. Robert Pittenger) are fighting statewide races. Several are facing extremely well-funded opponents. But legislative rules preclude them from accepting contributions from PACs or lobbyists while the GA’s in session.  By and large, that’s where the big checks come from, so you know they’re counting the days.

Community Colleges

The fallout continues from NC Community College President Scott Ralls’ decision to stop admitting illegal immigrants into his system’s degree programs.

The timing on this one doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Homeland Security folks have yet to issue a final recommendation on it, but their initial response was that there was nothing illegal about the system’s former, looser policy. Ralls’ change gives NC the most restrictive entry requirements in the US. WUNC’s Dave DeWitt explains all that here.

Governor Easley was flat-out critical of Ralls today. After a speech in Raleigh, he told NCNN’s Matt Willoughby that the change in policy was “poor leadership.” Willoughby says he asked Easley whether he was talking about Ralls. Easley replied, “The community college president and board are the ones that made that decision.”  

So why this, and why now? As far as anyone could tell me, there was no external pressure on Ralls to make this decision. The primary was over, and the general is months away.  The only plausible explanation I’ve heard is that Ralls’ decision was an attempt to head off legislation aimed at making the policy change law.

But either way, smart money says someone’s bound to run a bill on it.  As it turns out, news tonight is that Guilford Dem Pricey Harrison says she’s introducing a bill to force the system to return to more liberal entry requirements.  Somehow, I’m betting we’ll be hearing a lot more about this one.

DOMA redux

We’re also liable to be hearing a lot more about gay marriage in NC soon, thanks to today’s CA Supreme Court ruling against a voter initiative law defining marriage as between one man and one woman.  CA has a “domestic partnership” alternative, but the judges found it to be unequal to traditional marriage, so they threw out the law as a violation of the rights of gay and lesbian citizens.

Conservatives have been warning voters for years about the "threat" to marriage posed by “activist judges,” but they haven’t had a lot to work with of late. Till today, that is. The CA ruling radically alters the landscape – and frankly, it’s a big present with a shiny red bow for NC conservatives concerned about lackluster turnout in November.  Expect to hear more than you ever wanted to on this issue for the next 6 or 7 months.

Making Bond?

One more big issue looming on the horizon is the prospect of a state transportation bond. Everyone – Rs and Ds alike – seems to agree we need one. But no one agrees on what it ought to look like:  how many billions, how many years, how to spend it and on what.

If you’re a transportation advocate, you’re no doubt hoping the bond makes it onto November’s ballot, when you can probably count on a lot of fairly friendly Dem voters.  But things aren’t looking good for the short session (see above). From what I’ve heard so far, there’s more than enough disagreement on the basic terms of the bond to push it into the longer session next year. 

Last but not least…

Kudos to all my colleagues at WUNC for a slew of awards in the Society of Professional Journalists’ “Green Eyeshade” regional competition.

• Jessica Jones in Non-Deadline News for "James Ahearn"
• Leoneda Inge in Feature Reporting for "CSI"
• The State of Things in Courts and the Law for "Business of Prosecution"
• Laura Leslie in Political Reporting for "Meade's Chair"
• Susan Davis in Consumer Reporting for "Genetic Testing"
• NC Voices in Continuing Coverage for "Diagnosing Health Care"
• Eric Hodge in Best Newscast for "8 AM Newscast 8/31"
• Laura Leslie in Best Blog for "Isaac Hunter's Tavern"

And maybe most importantly, a huge "thank you" to editor Brent Wolfe who assembles and ships all those awards entries in his copious spare time. 

We won’t know exactly what we’ve won till the awards banquet in late June -- but I have to admit I’m really excited the Tavern is getting a nod at any level.  (A year and a half ago, when I started this thing, I wasn't sure anyone would even read it.)

Congrats also to NC public radio stations WFDD and WFAE, both of whom are also up for awards.  It’s a big competition, and a big honor. Way to go, guys!

Comments? Drop me a line.