News-Record.com

There was a steady drizzle falling on my way to the legislative building this morning. At the same time, the sprinklers at the old capitol building were running full out.

I'm sure there was a good reason for that; I'm just not totally sure what it is.

I've been thinking that a lot over the past few days. Committees meetings and other schedules here in Capital City have been getting juggled so that the folks trying to come up with a budget compromise between the House and Senate can work.

And of course, folks are all a twitter up here with the vague possibility that the impasse could get bad enough to shut down the state government.

How would that happen? Easy.

The current budget year ends at the stroke of midnight June 30/July 1. Any prospect for finishing the new budget on time is pretty much down the tubes at this point. That leaves the two houses to pass a continuing resolution, which would keep things funded at the same rate as the current fiscal year.

The problem: the House and Senate negotiators have different visions of what should be in the CR. The big sticking point seems to be whether to make the so-called "temporary" 1/2 cent sales tax permanent - as the Senate wishes - or whether just to extend it another two years - as the House wishes. The House hopes that half cent will go away one day.

If that quarrel blows up a there's no agreement, then the governor technically has no real authority to run the government and no money to do it with.

Of course, the really important stuff - like the Highway Patrol - wouldn't really shut down and the General Assembly members are likely to get their stuff together in time to avert any such foolishness.

Which would just leave them to negotiate the real budget. The big question remains how long that process will drag on.

Update: Via our friends at AP: "State government is not going to shut down," said House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg. "We will work out differences."