It's the end of July and the House and Senate are still in session. Here are three signs that they'll be done soon.

* House Speaker Joe Hackney told members to prepare next week for a lighter committee schedule as they work on the budget.

* The House and Senate approved another extension to the continuing resolution, which allows the state to function even though it has no budget. And unlike the last two resolutions, this time the House didn't insist on a deadline. Maybe that's because they figure they don't need one.

* Sen. David Hoyle and Rep. Paul Luebke stood next to each other and agreed on something. Hoyle, of Dallas, perhaps the most business-sympathetic Democrat in the legislature, and Luebke, of Durham, one of the more outspoken liberals in the legislature, agreed Thursday on a tax deal.

The Senate pitched a tax proposal this morning that represents the best chance yet for a budget deal.

Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat, and key budget negotiator said the Senate proposal represents a compromise between the House and Senate priorities.

"I think we have the possibility right now to move on this third way," Luebke said after House Democrats broke up a caucus meeting about the plan.

Luebke and Sen. David Hoyle, a Gastonia Democrat, said the Senate pitch includes a higher sales tax, unspecified "sin" taxes and a surcharge on the income tax.

A continued sticking point is combined reporting, Luebke said. House Democrats want all national corporations to report all earnings in all states to make it tougher to dodge taxes. Senate Democrats want to continue to allow the state Department of Revenue to demand combined reporting in specific cases.

Hoyle said the Senate still believes in broadening the sales tax base by including more items and services, which would allow a lower rate for everyone.

"We've got to get out of here," Hoyle said. "We'll keep pushing that issue over the next six to eight months and present it at the short session."

Democrats are expected to return to caucus after an abbreviated floor session.

Correction: Post now includes updated list of taxes. 

The legislature is considering a fee increase that would turn every elected Register of Deeds in the state into a sort of tax collector.

The current House budget proposal includes some $81 million in increased fees.

Increases would be levied on marriage and divorces. Fees for getting a license to run a charitable bingo game or referring a boxing match would go up. Convicted criminals would pay more for the forensic testing used to convict them.

In most cases, the new fees help pay for the program that is collecting them.
But registers of deeds would be collecting new fees that have nothing to do with their duties. The fee proposal would require the elected register of deeds in each county to collect and addtional $9 from those filing property transactions. The money would go to a state emergency management fund.

"I think everybody has gotten the idea that we see to be a logical place to try to collect money now," said Rebecca Cipriani, the Democratic Rockingham County register of deeds and the president of a state association for registers. "We are being asked to collect fees that have nothing to do with our offices and the services we provide."

In 2008 the legislature added a $10 increase to the same fee to pay for floodplain mapping. If the current proposal is adopted, the fee for the first page of deed of trust or mortgage documents would be $32.

More after the jump.

   Comments (0)

This morning, the House budget proposal had a simple, boiler plate name.

Before the day is over, the House is expected to change the name of the bill to an unwieldy, exhaustive list of all the taxes the proposal would raise. House rules say amendments must be germaine to the bill.

The rule exists to ensure that bills don't include random provisions unrelated to the subject matter of the bill.

The rule requires that if an amendment would run counter to the bill title, it would need a 2/3 vote to suspend the rules to be considered. The new name hasn't been added yet, so House members could still run amendments through.

Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat, said that the tax package received 150 comments from the 30 members of the Finance Committee.

"It was an excellent debate, but that entire debate does not need to be repeated on the House floor," Luebke said.

"It's anti-democratic," said Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Repubilcan and the House minority leader.

The Conservation Council of N.C. recognized seven state politicians for environmental work.

For its annual "Green Tie" awards, the Raleigh-based nonprofit honored Attorney General Roy Cooper, state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird and state Reps. Angela Bryant, Ruth Samuelson, Cullie Tarleton, Jennifer Weiss and Paul Luebke.

Cooper was praised for having a team of lawyers fight the Tennessee Valley Authority over air pollution.

Bryant, Samuelson and Tarleton were recognized for their support for a smoking ban and bills on energy efficiency and water conservation.

Weiss and Kinnaird were singled out as representative and senator of the year.

Luebke received the "Defender of the Environment" award, the highest award given this year. 

"At the Legislature, it was a short time ago very few people talked about the need to protect the environment and public health," said board president Nina Szlosberg.

She said business and environmental groups now work together.

Some recent House bills of note:

H.B. 593: Change School Starting Date, Reps. Paul Luebke, Martha Alexander, Bob England and Ray Rapp

H.B. 611: Check-Off Donation: Breast Cancer Screening, Reps. Nelson Dollar, Carolyn Justice, Lucy Allen and England

H.B. 614: Absentee Voting Improvements, Reps. Grier Martin, Rick Glazier, Marian McLawhorn and Rapp

H.B. 626: Restraining of Dogs, Reps. Douglas Yongue, Susan Fisher, Danny McComas and Justin Burr

H.B. 630: Capitalize National Guard in Statutes, Reps. Martin, Cullie Tarleton and Ric Killian

H.B. 644: Misdemeanor/Not Produce Public Records, Reps. George Cleveland and Burr

Several legislators have signed onto parts of Gov. Beverly Perdue's budget.

Three bills filed today at the legislature echo provisions of the $21 billion proposed budget unveiled by Perdue this morning:

H.B. 619: Earmarks $5 million for N.C. Green Business Fund, Reps. Pricey Harrison, Angela Bryant, Paul Luebke and Joe Tolson

H.B. 640: Increases per-cigarette tax rate to 5.5 cents, directs some revenue to mental health, Reps. Jennifer Weiss, Rick Glazier, Luebke and William Wainwright

S.B. 608: Directs $5 million for the One North Carolina small business fund, Sen. David Weinstein

Naturally, the sponsors hope to tap into momentum created by the governor's proposals, but given the amount of time it takes to write a bill, these weren't simply filed as a "me-too" effort.

The cigarette tax proposal also differs from Perdue's, which simply covers the general fund revenue shortfall.

Some recent House bills:

H.B. 512: Incentives for Energy Conservation, Reps. Hugh Holliman, Pricey Harrison and Paul Luebke

H.B. 516: Increase Revenues Without Raising Taxes, Rep. Paul Stam

H.B. 518: Lottery Name Changed, Reps. John Blust, Thom Tillis, Ruth Samuelson and Darrell McCormick

H.B. 539: Merge Smart Start/More at Four, Reps. Ray Rapp, Rick Glazier, Bob England and Marvin Lucas

H.B. 586: Expand Voter-Owned Elections, Reps. Glazier, Deborah Ross, Rapp and Grier Martin

Reps. Paul Luebke and Ty Harrell support $483 million coming into the state's economy.

That figure was the centerpiece of a news conference the Democrats held Tuesday to express their support for the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as the card check bill.

Luebke and Harrell said in what is sure to be a polarizing claim that if 5 percent more of the state's workers were in unions, they would earn $483 million more in wages, assuming that union workers make eight percent. Those workers would then have more money to spend in the economy.

"We are always happy to have more people working and working at higher wages," said Luebke, of Durham.

The estimates on new wages come from a study by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. The center is a liberal think tank that supports the card check bill.

Recent House bills of note:

H.B. 338: Stimulus Funds/Contractors Must Use E-Verify, Rep. Pat McElraft

H.B. 339: Taxpayer Transparency Act, Reps. McElraft, Pat Hurley, Curtis Blackwood and Hugh Blackwell

H.B. 344: Employers Must Use E-Verify Program, Reps. Wil Neumann and George Cleveland

H.B. 351: Party Change During Early Voting, Rep. Cary Allred

H.B. 361: Defense of Marriage, Reps. David Lewis, James Crawford, Pearl Burris-Floyd and Dewey Hill

H.B. 362: Access to Higher Education, Rep. Pricey Harrison, Paul Luebke, Rick Glazier and Verla Insko