The budget deal may not be ready for prime time.
Senate Democrats were expecting to discuss the agreement in a caucus this afternoon, but when they met, Senate leader Marc Basnight turned the focus to a landfill bill, Dan Kane reports.
The Manteo Democrat had said this morning that he would discuss the agreement in the caucus meeting. Afterward, he said it would be discussed at a later meeting. He would not say if there are enough votes in the caucus to pass what he and House Speaker Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, had agreed to last night.
Senate Democrats have a 31-19 edge in the chamber, but several Democratic members have said they are troubled with a proposed budget provision that gives counties the option to hold a referendum to raise the land transfer tax from .2 percent to .6 percent.
More after the jump.
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After the meeting, some Senate Democrat leaders appeared to be at opposite positions on whether the budget was ready.
State Sen. Linda Garrou, a budget writer from Winston-Salem, said there were a few small details to iron out, but she expected to have a bill ready to be printed and read in tonight. That would allow for budget votes on Friday and Saturday.
But then Sen. David Hoyle, a Gaston County Democrat, emerged. He suggested there was a lot more work to be done on the bill, and it made no sense to try to vote on it before next week.
"There ain't nothing that can't be unraveled or changed subject to a caucus position," said Hoyle, who is a chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. "I think that's why we won't have a first reading today."
