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Welcome to Crossover Week on Jones Street. Think the action’s been fast so far? Well, hold onto our elephant ears, this week lawmakers will be shoveling as many bills as possible through committee and out to their floors for a vote to meet a Thursday deadline dubbed crossover.

The House and Senate rules say that bills that don’t raise or spend money or propose amendments to the state constitution must pass either the House or Senate by Thursday to be considered during the session. Of course, rules are made to be circumvented, so there are many ways to keep legislation alive. Dome’s favorite: Strip a bill that has already crossed over of its language and insert your bill of choice.

***Thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo. Read more about the issues hanging in the balance this week at the legislature. And send news and tips to dome@newsobserver.com.***

The long-time director of the legislature's bill drafting division is changing jobs and will move to the newly created position of special counsel next month.

Gerry Cohen has been a legislative staffer for 35 years, and has run bill drafting for 31 years. In addition to his official duties, Cohen is the go-to man for answers to obscure questoins on General Assembly history and how things work.

Update: Asked why the legislature is adding a position in a time of tight budgets, spokespeople for legislative leaders referred to this prepared statement.

"There is no one in the state of North Carolina who understands the legislative process better than Gerry Cohen," House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger said. "Gerry has been invaluable to the General Assembly for more than three decades, and we are grateful he will continue to share his many talents in an important new capacity."

Democratic legislative leaders are asking their GOP counterparts to review a statehouse rule that bans visitors from the second floor where the legislative chambers are located.

Rep. Joe Hackney and Sen. Martin Nesbitt believe House Speaker Thom Tillis' office incorrectly used the rule to evict protesters in February. (For more on the rule, click here.)

They are OK with not letting people viewing the building or observing the session walk the floor -- but believe the rule doesn't cover protesters.

Republican budget writers have frequent after-hours, closed-door meetings on what they want to do next year. What's actually happening in those meetings is unclear.

Republican legislative leaders answering questions about the meetings today added more dimensions to the puzzle.

Senate leader Phil Berger said there are no decisions being made in those meetings, while House Speaker Thom Tillis described House members and senators sitting down to work out their differences.

"We had some members who were a little bit frustrated because we were working through some reconciliations," Tillis said.  "I said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, do you have any earthly idea how long it has been since the House and Senate have sat in the room and worked out differences in the budget on March 17? This is stuff they do in June and July.'"

Of course, Democrats had plenty of closed-door budget negotiations when they were in power.

But Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, complained about Republicans doing it, saying the GOP isn't  just balancing the budget.

The decisions they make have the potential to significantly change the state, he said, and the public should have a chance to comment on them.

"I'm talking about major policy shifts that are fixing to occur in this state that effect its people and its future," he said.