Daren,
It’s also unclear whether the General Assembly would be willing to cede authority to an outside Ethics Commission.
Some longtime lawmakers are particularly sensitive about the erosion of legislative authority. They’ve seen the impact of the gubernatorial veto (authorized by North Carolina voters in 1996 and exercised for the first time in November 2002). That veto gives Gov. Mike Easley a major advantage in negotiations over important bills like the budget.
And concerns about the balance of power among the three branches helped kill a session limits bill in the state House a few years ago.
