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A NEW DIX DEAL: Gov. Pat McCrory and Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane will hold a joint news conference this morning to discuss the Dorothea Dix lease. A state House committee approved a new version of a bill Wednesday that would revoke Raleigh’s disputed lease on the Dorothea Dix property near downtown. The compromise bill comes with a sweetener that has the support of city leaders and the governor’s office.

But the question is whether the Senate will go along. Sen. Ralph Hise, a Spruce Pine Republican, said the Senate remains committed to its version of the bill. "As we've clearly seen, the lease was entered into by the state illegally, it is substantially different than what even the Council of State had approved, and it's in the bad interest of the state," he said. "If they need to start, we'll start from scratch. But you can't begin on a foundation that's that weak."

GOP LAWMAKERS REACT TO BRAWLEY LETTER: “If you have a disagreement, that's not how one handles it and I'm saddened," said Rep. Craig Horn, a Weddington Republican. "We don't need distractions." Other Republican lawmakers refused to talk about it. "I don't have anything to say," said House Majority Leader Edgar Starnes. Rep. Ruth Samuelson, a Charlotte Republican and top GOP leader, said she was surprised by the letter read on the floor. "I thought it was an inappropriate use of the floor by Rep. Brawley." If anything, Samuelson said, "I think it will help bring us together more because it doesn't represent the majority of the caucus."

***Thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo -- congrats to the NCGA team on the big win against South Carolina last night. More North Carolina political news below. ***

A trip to the grocery store may soon include a growler fill along with the carton of milk. A House panel approved a bill Wednesday to allow retailers such as grocery stores and beer specialty shops to fill half-gallon jugs known as growlers from a beer tap, just the state's growing list of craft breweries can do. South Carolina allows a similar practice. "With our burgeoning craft brew industry, what this bill would allow is the same thing to happen here in North Carolina," said sponsor Chuck McGrady, a Hendersonville Republican.

OBAMA TO NAME MEL WATT AS HOUSING CHIEF: President Barack Obama intends to nominate Rep. Melvin Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the government regulator that oversees lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a White House official told the Associated Press.  The president was expected to name Watt, a 20-year veteran of the House, on Wednesday, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.

HOUSE, SENATE STILL APART ON TAX PLAN: Senate Republicans are expected to debut a comprehensive tax plan in coming days -- but don't expect the House to stand at their side. Rep. David Lewis, the lead House tax negotiator, said Tuesday they still haven't found complete agreement. "The two chambers are not yet on one accord," he said. Lewis said he's optimistic the two sides will still unify around a single plan. He wouldn't identify the sticking point but it is likely how to pay for the plan -- with the Senate wanting to tax dozens of new services and the House wanting a more modest approach.

***Click below to keep reading the Dome Morning Memo for more details on Watt's new post -- and what it means in North Carolina -- as well as more political news and analysis.***

The bill was voted down in Hager's own committee last week 18-13, but he's got it scheduled to be taken up again in the House Committee on Public Utilities and Energy on Wednesday.

Hager was unavailable for comment but Dallas Woodhouse, North Carolina director for the Arlington, Va.-based Americans for Prosperity, which has supported Hager's bill, offered his opinion: “While there was not the right mix in the committee on that day, some of them may need more education.”

That presumably includes Rep. Tim Moore of Cleveland County, chair of the House Rules Committee; Conference Leader Ruth Samuelson of Mecklenburg County; and Wake County’s Nelson Dollar, senior chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. All three voted against the bill. Read the full story here.

The proposed new voter photo ID law could cost as much as much as $3.6 million to implement – the price of providing free photos to those without driver's licenses, and voter education efforts, officials said.

The voter ID bill cleared another hurdle Thursday when it was approved by the House Finance Committee by an 18-10 party-line vote. It is scheduled for a full House vote next week.

The legislative staff prepared an analysis of how much it would likely cost to implement the law requiring voters to provide a photo ID by the 2016 election. It would also require a trial run for the 2014 election.

One of the biggest costs will be providing free photo Ids to persons who do not hold driver's licenses or other government-approved photos such as student Ids for state-supported campuses.

The Legislative Building got real quiet late Thursday morning. Like Friday morning quiet.

Between the House and Senate sessions, most legislative Republicans headed over to the new state science museum for a joint caucus meeting where they heard from nationally-known political wordsmith and Republican strategist Frank Luntz.

Rep. Edgar Starnes, House majority leader, said the point of the meeting was "to make everybody feel good."

Rep. Ruth Samuelson, House Republican conference leader, the session was about communicating more effectively with constituents.

Luntz is credited with coining the term "death tax," referring to the estate tax. His web site says he "showed that parents don't debate 'school vouchers,' but they do discuss 'opportunity scholarships.' And he showed Americans don't want 'drilling for oil,' but they do want 'American energy exploration.'"

House Republicans unveiled their long-awaited voter id bill Thursday, offering a less restrictive version than the measure that was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Bev. Perdue two years ago.

The measure would require all voters to show a government-issued photograph at the polls starting with the 2016 elections, in what supporters said was an effort to restore voter confidence in the electoral system.

But it would include several provisions that seem designed to address the concerns of critics who charged that it would disenfranchise older voters, students, and the poor. The bill would accept expired driver's licenses up to 10 years, student ID's from public universities, state employee Ids, and would allow persons older than 70 years to use old IDs. It would also require the state to provide free photo ID's to those who claim financial hardship.

State Rep. David Lewis, a committee chairman, is running for House GOP leader. He is making calls to Republican lawmakers saying he wants to serve alongside Ruth Samuelson. 

Republican are considering splitting the majority leader post. Lewis wants the operations end of the job that would run the daily calendar and manage the caucus agenda. Samuelson is campaigning for the bigger picture strategic job.

Ruth Samuelson is making a bid for Republican leader in the N.C. House.

The Charlotte lawmaker emailed her colleagues Wednesday and asked for their support for majority leader. And if the caucus decides to split the two positions -- an unprecedented move to have two majority leaders -- Samuelson wants to take the "development" post that will put her in charge of strategic messaging, professional development and campaign fundraising.

"We had great success yesterday and I would like to continue to use that experience to make us stronger as a team," she wrote in the email.

House Republican leaders are considering creating two majority leader positions for the next legislative session in which they will command a supermajority.

The move -- floated in an email to the caucus members today, including those newly elected Tuesday -- would divide the House GOP leader's responsibilities into a day-to-day floor leader and a bigger picture "development position" that will handle communications, professional development and campaign fundraising.

The House GOP will meet Nov. 17 at the Brownstone hotel in Raleigh to vote on the plan -- which reflects the general consensus of the current Republican leadership.