Evidently this behavior is how bipartisanship really works in North Carolina. From the News & Observer (emphasis is mine):
The full House will get its first look today at $18.5 billion budget proposal that slashes spending across state government, but spares several programs by including $780 million in new taxes.
The House budget bill made it through a key committee late Wednesday after a contentious debate in which Republicans franticly tried to stop Democrats from using a parliamentary maneuver designed to fend off any changes to the budget proposal.
The Democrats changed the title of the bill to an unwieldy recitation of all the taxes the budget would raise. House rules say amendments can’t be contrary to the title of a bill, which means removing the taxes would be tough.
JLF’s Becki Gray has been live-blogging the action and you’ll find her reports from very late last night in the Locker Room — including an incredibly long, long, long, long list of fees and more fees and more fees our legislators would like to hike.
You can hear Becki’s description of the behind-the-scenes budget haggling at Tuesday’s meeting of JLF’s Triangle Freedom Club. Information here.
