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The divide between legislative Republicans about how to revamp the state’s tax code became clear Thursday, as House leaders unveiled a dueling plan, calling it a more measured approach.

The House legislation (Read it here.) offers smaller income tax cuts in exchange for fewer new taxes on services. Supporters pledged it would give a break to all taxpayers but the numbers remain unclear. It contrasts greatly with a sweeping Senate proposal that some experts believe could leave many people with a tax hike, a point its supporters dispute.

“We think our tax plan is a lot simpler in terms of the expansion of the sales tax base,” said state Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican leading the effort. “We think it makes sense to people.”

A week after Senate Republicans unveiled an ambitious -- yet controversial -- tax overhaul measure, the forthcoming legislation continues to take shape.

Among the ideas on the table: capping localities ability to add to the state sales tax at 1.5 percent instead of the current 2 percent. It's part of how lawmakers get the 6.5 percent combined state and local sales tax. (The state sales tax would go from the current 4.75 to 5 percent.) But any change is likely to unnerve local governments, given the restraint on their ability to raise revenue.

Sen. Bob Rucho, a Charlotte Republican, said localities won't lose money because the plan will create more economic growth for them, and thus more tax revenue. "We want to make sure municipalities and local governments are kept where they are," he said. "And any growth will come from economic opportunity."

See other ideas being considered for the bill below.

The North Carolina NAACP plans to risk arrests at the General Assembly with its third consecutive week of protests, AP reports. What the Rev. William Barber is now calling "Moral Mondays" will continue following back-to-back weeks of protests resulting in nearly 50 arrests.

Thirty people were arrested last Monday, a week after 17 protesters were taken into custody. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other activists say the Republican majorities in the legislature are backing a regressive agenda on social programs, voting rights, education and tax policy. The civil rights groups and others say the GOP actions disproportionately hurt the poor and minorities. Barber won't say how long protests will continue. He says they're a part of a wider strategy that includes legal action and political organizing.

North Carolina's U.S. Senate race is trending more safely in Kay Hagan's direction compared to the other competitive contests in 2014, according to one pundit.

The Washington Post's Fix blog now ranks the race No. 6 in a list of those most likely to switch parties. (No. 1 is the most likely.)

The N.C. race ranked No. 4 in March. And Hagan, a freshman who rode into office on the 2008 Obama ticket, isn't looking like the most vulnerable incumbent, either. Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas earns that designation, Fix says, ranking the race No. 3. The top two races are open seats.

UPDATED: The House and Senate are at odds again.

The two legislative chambers -- both controlled by Republicans -- blew up earlier this session with disagreements about Senate Bill 10, a bill that sweeps clean many state boards and commissions. That is, until the House and Senate conference committee agreed on a version Wednesday.

But now that compromise is off. The Senate approved the conference report Thursday but the House unanimously rejected it. (See more about the changes below.) Sen. Tom Apodaca, the lead Senate sponsor, appeared frustrated. He suggested the bill is done in its current form. "We are not going back to the table on Senate bill 10," he said. "I guess it’s dead."

The bill could be revived with parliamentary moves, or folded into a different bill.

Democratic state Sen. Angela Bryant says she regrets making a remark on Twitter linking the Boston tragedy to Republican lawmakers legislative agenda.

"GOP political terrorism on poor along marathon survival route with pressure cooker bombs: pay 4 drug test, IDs, crim check," @angelareb tweeted Tuesday at 9:29 a.m. Bryant later deleted the tweet but Republican operatives captured it and called for an explanation.

Asked about it by Dome on Thursday, Bryant said: "I regret really making a connection between the Boston tragedy and what's happening here. I was frustrated and am frustrated about the incessant attacks on the poor."

Bryant compared the poor's survival efforts to a marathon and the Republican legislation to require drug tests and criminal background checks for public assistance and voter identification to "pressure cooker bombs" along the marathon route.

"It was surely regretful," Bryant said. "It was not a good thing to do, given the tragedy, because there is no comparison to people losing their lives in that kind of incident. Not a good idea at all and I have tremendous regrets about that."

The N.C. Legislative Black Caucus says Republicans lawmakers are "at it again."

Caucus Chairman Rep. Garland Pierce, a Wagram Democrat, is peeved about Senate Republicans approving a bill to "criminalize applicants" for the state's public assistance program, Work First, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

"The cruel tea party Republicans are creating bills that are unconstitutional and prevent our citizens from taking care of their families," he said in a statement announcing an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday. "Where are the jobs?"

The caucus has railed against the GOP leadership for approving bills that hurt low-income and minority residents, such as a bill to block Medicaid expansion and curtail unemployment benefits.

Record numbers of Republicans and African-Americans hold offices in the state legislature this year, according to the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research.

And those elected officials are more interested in constitutional amendments and getting the state involved in local issues, the center added.

Republicans hold 110 of 170 legislative seats, more than the GOP has had in more than a century, according to the center.

The legislature has a record-high 31 African-American members.

There's been near-record turnover, with 50 legislators serving their first term.

At least 18 different constitutional amendments have been proposed this year.

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: In a metaphor for this legislative session, the Senate is moving fast to raise the speed limit to 75 mph on some highways. The full Senate is scheduled to hear the bill Thursday, a day after it passed a committee and a week after it was filed, AP reports. The Carolina Panthers incentives bill also won approval in committee Wednesday and heads to the floor. Senate convenes at 10 a.m. The House is expecting a longer-than-normal day with a busy calendar, including a measure to limit the N.C. Lottery's ability to advertise and sell games. It starts at 1 p.m. Earlier in the day, House committees will consider a wind energy bill and IT changes requested by the McCrory adminsitration.

Gov. Pat McCrory will attend the UNC system Board of Governors meeting in Pembroke -- where he will surely face questions about the budget cuts he proposed -- before making an economic development announcement in the area.

HOW WILL GOP REACT? As AP reports, an American-Islamic group wants national Republican leaders to repudiate comments by a North Carolina legislator who compared Muslim prayer to terrorism. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Wednesday that bigoted comments must be rejected if the GOP wants to reach minorities. State Rep. Michele Presnell of Yancey County did not respond to messages seeking comment.

***The Dome Morning Memo sets the stage for the day in North Carolina politics. Get more news and analysis below.***

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: A controversial voter ID measure gets a double billing Wednesday, appearing in a 1 p.m. House Election Committe meeting for discussion only and a 4 p.m. public hearing. A lawyer from the Indiana Secretary of State's Office and the N.C. NAACP's William Barber will present at the earlier meeting. The House will also unveil a major education bill at a 2 p.m. press conference, just hours after a Senate panel considers President Pro Tem Phil Berger's own overhaul plan at a 10 a.m.

Senate committees will also consider bills to increase the speed limit on some highways to 75 mph and provide tax money to the Carolina Panthers for stadium renovations. Gov. Pat McCrory will attend a private reception for the N.C. Homebuilders Association at 5 p.m. The group is advancing two controversial measures this session to limit local control of inspections and design standards for homes that are angering counties and cities. Wonder how Mayor Pat would have reacted to the legislation?

McCRORY'S FIRST 100 DAYS: The governor is nearing the 100-day mark of his term -- a benchmark that means little but will generate a media extravaganza. McCrory is sitting down with various media outlets this week, about 10 minutes at a time, to discuss his accomplishments. WRAL-TV is the first with an interview. Check it out here. 

***Good morning and thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo. More North Carolina political news and analysis below.***