North Carolina is sending more than 70 lawmakers and legislative staffers this week to the National Conference of State Legislature's annual meeting in New Orleans, where House Speaker Joe Hackney will be installed Thursday as president of the organization's executive committee.

The list includes 42 lawmakers, all but five of them House members. Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, is among the five senators, all of them Democrats. Five of the 37 House members are Republican, Dan Kane reports.

Thirty-two legislative staffers were planning to attend, though one of them, retiring Fiscal Research Director Lynn Muchmore, later decided to stay home.

Hackney's ascendancy may have drawn more interest among lawmakers to the annual meeting this year. In 2006, roughly 20 lawmakers attended the annual meeting in Nashville, and last year about 30 lawmakers went to the annual meeting in Boston, said Wesley Taylor, the legislature's financial services manager.

Expenses won't become available until after the lawmakers and staffers return and file expense reports, Taylor said.

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Expect state lawmakers to hang around until at least 12:01 a.m. Saturday, if Gov. Mike Easley hasn't decided what to do with the $21.4 billion state budget bill.

While the legislature's in session, Easley has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, or it becomes law. Those 10 days end at midnight Friday, said Gerry Cohen, the legislature's bill drafting director, Dan Kane reports.

But if the legislature closes the session before then, Easley has another 30 days to consider or reject the budget bill. If he vetoes, the legislature would have to be called back to vote to override the veto or produce another budget bill that's more to Easley's liking.

Legislative leaders say they would like to work out Easley's concerns. His staff say that he is seeking more money for his Learn and Earn education initiative that allows high school students to get a four-year college degree tuition free. They also say he has concerns about the record $857 million in borrowing authorized for construction projects.

Lawmakers do not have a lot of time to satisfy those concerns if they want to adjourn by the end of the week. Bills that spend more money typically need to be heard over three days.

If lawmakers can't finish their business this week, they are unlikely to wrap it up the next.

House Speaker Joe Hackney and 35 other House members, three senators and more than 25 legislative staffers are planning to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual conference in New Orleans which runs Tuesday through Friday.

Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, is president elect of the organization, which provides research and technical assistance to state legislatures.

Cigarette taxes have become a popular source of state revenue.

According to research by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 43 states, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories have increased their cigarette tax rates more than 75 times since 2002, when many states faced tight budgets due to the recession.

Arturo Perez, a fiscal analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said the tax has been targeted for several reasons: It is considered more voluntary than other taxes, smoking is considered unhealthy, and some groups believe the tax would cut smoking rates.

"It is a tax that is now viewed as something that is more palatable to voters," he said.

Perez said that the cigarette tax is the most frequently targeted of so-called "sin taxes" on junk food, alcohol and tobacco. In many cases, he said it is directed to anti-smoking programs and health care.

Gov. Mike Easley's proposed budget calls for increasing the state cigarette tax from 35 to 55 cents per pack. It is currently the seventh-lowest in the country.

House Speaker Joe Hackney has donated a $10,000 leadership prize he won last year to the school that taught him the three Rs.

The money goes to Silk Hope Elementary School in Chatham County to build an outdoor classroom and dining space, and to purchase a new projector and screen. The school has 440 students and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, grew up on a farm near Silk Hope and graduated from its public school in 1963, which then served grades 1-12.

The money comes from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Legislative Leadership Foundation, who awarded Hackney with the 2007 Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award. The money is intended to go to the winner's charity of choice.

“Silk Hope School played an important part in my life and in helping to make me a leader,” Hackney said in a news release. “I think it’s more than appropriate that I try to pass that gift on to the children who are there now.”

North Carolina House Speaker Joe Hackney will be on Capitol Hill Wednesday lobbying Congress.

Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, is scheduled to lead a delegation of state lawmakers from around the country to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, reports Rob Christensen.

Hackney said he wants to discuss the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, the impact of the drought and other issues.

Hackney is president-elect of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Joe Hackney is in Argentina. 

The speaker of the House is in the midst of a two-week trip to Argentina to talk about how North Carolina's legislature works and learn how governments operate in that South American country, Dan Kane reports.

His spokesman, Bill Holmes, said the National Conference of State Legislatures is paying for the trip, which is intended to promote an exchange of ideas between the two countries.

Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, is president elect of the NCSL's executive committee.

North Carolina's new athletic scholarship program for some public and private college students appears to be unusual compared to other states, according to a review of legislation by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The bipartisan organization, which provides research and other technical expertise to state legislatures, found that only a handful of states have set up programs outside of the typical booster clubs that help pay for athletic scholarships, reports Dan Kane.

None say that general fund revenues will help pay for the scholarships, as North Carolina now does.

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When are legislative leaders going to settle their differences and adopt a state budget?

Don't be surprised if they wrap up close to Aug. 5.

Why?

That's when the National Conference of State Legislatures begins its annual conference. It's in Boston this year, and House Speaker Joe Hackney is in line to get a big award and become the group's president-elect.

House Speaker Joe Hackney is the best.

So says the National Conference of State Legislatures, which is presenting Hackney with its top honor for "restoring integrity in a chamber tarnished by the actions of its previous leader."

As a result, the Orange County Democrat will receive the 2007 Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award.

"His leadership has reinforced the foundation of the North Carolina House and it is now a more effective body," said Bill Pound, the group's executive director.

And that "previous leader"? Well, he was sentenced this week to more than five years in federal prison.