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Wednesday: Holding Pattern
posted at 2007-04-26 02:25 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Gee, it'd be nice if something could get done this week. Alas, it seems unlikely. The House is on pause while committee chairs go mano-a-mano over the budget, while the Senate is, well, just being the Senate (aka the "more deliberative body").
Okay, to be fair,some things are getting done...but here's some of what's on hold.
The budget
You know that "floating deadline" Approps Chair Larry Womble mentioned earlier this week? Well, it just floated right on into May. After hints today from Speaker Joe Hackney, the AP reports tonight that the budget is pretty much certain to be delayed.
"House Democratic leaders say the budget won't roll out as early as they had hoped. They had wanted to bring out the House's spending plan for the next two years Monday. Now House Speaker Joe Hackney said that won't happen in part because Democrats didn't want to rush and they would like another update on state tax figures after the April filing deadline...."
[Translation: "We don't want to make as many cuts as we're being asked to."]
"...The senior budget-writer, Rep. Mickey Michaux, D-Durham, said it's unclear whether they'll vote on a budget later next week or the following week. The House and Senate are working to finalize and vote on a final budget before the current fiscal year ends June 30."
Hey, it's only April...plenty of time, right? Besides, how long could it possibly take the "deliberative body" to work it over?
The smoking ban
You know, I think I'll institute a ban on writing about the smoking ban until it happens. It didn't today - as I thought, it was pulled off today's calendar and rescheduled for next week. Holliman says he's waiting till some key supporters get back into town.
Rumors are afoot that Holliman may be "streamlining" (e.g. weakening) the restaurant ban, but I don't buy it. How much more "business-friendly" could it get?
The high-risk insurance pool
Also pulled off today's calendar. It's another one of those ideas everyone professes to like - in theory, anyway. Why not? There's no debating that for many North Carolinians with health problems, affordable insurance is far out of reach. What they ARE fighting about is who ought to pay for the pool.
The bill proposes a fee on existing policies to finance a self-replenishing, state-run underwriting fund. But lots of folks - even some Dems - say employers and workers who are already struggling to pay for their own insurance shouldn't have to pay even more to a state fund. Some say it might be enough to drive some employers to quit offering insurance altogether. (From what I've heard, that may be a bit over the top - we're talking about a few bucks per policy here.)
Republicans say if the state thinks it needs a high risk pool, then the state should pay for it - without raising taxes, of course.
Next up: Proportionality review?
A bill requiring the Supreme Court's review of racial proportionality to examine life sentences as well as death sentences. So far, it's already been re-calendared three times. It's up again tomorrow. No bets.
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