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Morning Memo: Expect a late night at legislature as bills fly fast

TODAY AT THE STATEHOUSE: The action starts early Tuesday and will likely stretch past 10 p.m. again. The House and Senate plan to convene a skeletal session just before 10 a.m. to read in committee reports, then recess until 2 p.m. House Speaker Thom Tillis said the session will go until 5:15 p.m. or so before a dinner recess for committee meetings. The chamber will reconvene at 7 p.m. and go late. The Senate isn't expected to stay as long but its calendar is getting crowded. Gov. Pat McCrory lists no public events.

McCRORY'S OFFICE WON'T RELEASE DAILY SCHEDULE ANYMORE: The governor's Communications Director Kim Genardo is changing the office's policy of releasing a daily calendar. Genardo said if there is no event scheduled, she won't send out a notice stating as much, meaning some days will have no notice to the governor's schedule. McCrory pledged to release a daily schedule during the gubernatorial campaign as he bashed his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue, for taking a "secret" trip to Pennsylvania to study fracking rigs. Republicans jumped on McCrory's Democratic opponent for not pledging to do the same. “Everyone knew where I was as mayor,” McCrory said a year ago. “My records were open."

***A busy week means lots of news below in the Dome Morning Memo. Send more news and tips to dome@newsobserver.com. ****

Conservative group lists ambitious agenda for GOP legislature

Americans for Prosperity is pushing for a full slate of what it calls "free market" policies in the upcoming legislative session -- including a constitutional amendment to limit government spending.

Dallas Woodhouse, the state director for the conservative group, said he expects much of the agenda to win approval given the supermajority Republican legislature -- one he views as more conservative than the previous session under GOP control. "We like our options better than when (Democrats where in control), there's no doubt about it," he said.

Americans for Prosperity WANTS YOU! to run for office

Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, is trolling for good state legislative candidates.

The group sent a robocall to targeted North Carolina homes Monday looking for people who would "promote the principles of limited government and free markets" and sign a no-tax pledge. "Have you ever considered running for office. The filing period for running for the state legislature begins today," the call starts. (See audio below.)

Are conservatives having trouble finding candidates? No, says Dallas Woodhouse, the group's executive director. "We have done this before and have been successful is getting people to file for office and sign the no-tax-increase pledge," he said. "Last year we had many candidates signed the pledge and some were recruited this way."


Morning Roundup: Rally against GOP legislature attracts thousands

--Several thousand people joined forces for the sixth annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street rally, where a broad alliance cheered for a long list of causes, including more lenient immigration laws, increased education spending, protection of unions, reduction of the wealth gap, and resistance to the state's proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

The overriding message of the rally, organized by state and national NAACP leaders, was that North Carolina's Republican-led legislature has infringed on the rights of underrepresented groups, from gay people to victims of racially tainted convictions. Read more here and click this for a photo gallery.

--If you want learn how to protect a bank, you ask a famous bank robber like Willie Sutton. If you want to know how to clean up Washington, you ask Jack Abramoff. Read Rob Christensen's column about Abramoff here.

--What can Charlotte expect to unfold on its uptown streets should thousands of protesters arrive for September's Democratic National Convention? The Observer reviewed what happened in four convention host cities since 2004. Before those events, organizers promised minimal disruptions, free expression and business-friendly climates. But in a number of ways, promises fell short of what actually happened. Read more here.

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