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A familiar face will be missing when the legislature reconvenes next year.

Veteran lobbyist Paul Wilms is retiring at the end of the year, Rob Christensen reports.

For the past eight years, Wilms has been chief lobbyist for the N.C. Homebuilders Association, but he has worked for the homebuilders since 1990.

In recent years, the group has been a key force in the debate over real estate transfer taxes.

The new lobbyist will be Lisa D. Martin, who has been the homebuilders' director of regulatory affairs since 2001.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Martin's job.

All that appears to be preventing an agreement among House and Senate Democrats on taxes for the state budget and a plan to help counties with their Medicaid bills is a .4 percent land transfer tax.

House Democrats want it as part of a deal to help counties with their Medicaid bills. But Senate Democrats balked after meeting behind closed doors for two hours this afternoon with lobbyists for the homebuilding and real estate businesses camped outside, reports Dan Kane.

Senate leaders would only say they had no deal late Thursday afternoon.

"No decision is sometimes a victory," said Paul Wilms, a lobbyist for the N.C. Home Builders Association.

Read more after the jump.