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Wednesday: The Rumor Mill
posted at 2007-06-27 23:50 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
While your faithful barkeep and a few dozen other folks focused on Mary McAllister's hearing today, there was no shortage of other action at the legislature. As is usually true this time of year, much of it is rumors, some more substantiated than others.
So I'm starting a new rumor rating system: 5 stars is fully substantiated, 1 star is sheer hearsay. That's the disclaimer, so progress accordingly.
Anyway, here's what folks were whispering about in the restroom today.
Rumor #1: Summa cum loaded? (****)
Over at the Legion of Dome, Ryan Teague Beckwith reports LBC Chair Rep. Alma Adams will release records tomorrow showing who received scholarships from the Legislative Black Caucus's scholarship fund.
If you need a refresher on the scholarship fund, here's my April post on it.
Rumor has it both a TV station and a major paper (not the N&O) are conducting separate investigations into where the money goes. The next logical question, of course, would be where the money comes from. But since the LBC Foundation is a private 501-C-3, they don't have to release that information...and there's no word yet on whether we'll know any more tomorrow.
The upshot? So far, it's already come out that the relatives of three black lawmakers members appear to have received LBC scholarships - the son of Larry Womble, the daughter of Jean Farmer-Butterfield, and the granddaughter of Earline Parmon.
For the record, as Rep. Farmer-Butterfield pointed out to Dome, there's no rule against LBC family members receiving LBC Foundation scholarships. But honestly, folks, does there really need to be a rule?
Rumor #2: Lawyered up (**)
The rumor mill says the Legislative Black Caucus has hired counsel, and held an emergency meeting with State Dem chair Jerry Meek Tuesday night about Rumor #1. I cannot confirm this one, despite my best efforts. But I've heard it from Dems, Reps, and other folks who ought to know. So I'm putting it out there.
Rumor #3: So close, and yet ... (*****)
The budget is close. Or not. Depends who you talk to. On the House side, sources say there's agreement on full Medicaid relief for counties. The devil is, as usual, in the details - what tools urban counties ought to have to make up for revenue they'd lose in a Medicaid/sales tax swap.
The House favors giving counties a choice between a sales tax increase and a local real-estate transfer tax. The Governor apparently does, too - he said so yesterday at the Hazmat bill signing. That was news to a lot of us, including lobbyists for the State Realtors' Association, who were seen burning up a lot of shoe leather on Jones St. today. The Senate, to no one's surprise, is more inclined to the realtors' point of view than the House's.
The budget this year is a lot like sudoku. Everything depends on everything else. The Medicaid proposal depends on whether the temporary sales tax is extended, which depends on the upper income surtax extension, which depends on the make-up of the earned income tax credit. The temporary sales tax extension also affects what each side is willing to do in terms of either bond or COPS borrowing. It's like trying to replace all the gears in a watch without losing time.
Rumor #4: Telephone (*)
Word is there's bad blood between House newbie Tricia Cotham (D-Meck) and her rear neighbor, freshman Rep. Joe Boylan (R-Moore). Like a game of telephone, this one gets juicier every time we hear it. So what's the real story? You tell me.
Tomorrow, more real news, I promise.
Comments? Drop me a line.
