News-Record.com

Well, this is surreal.

The Senate has packed up and headed home, saying they'll do no more work this year. The House, however, has decided to keep chugging away on stuff, including bills that would need Senate approval to become law.

One good example: A measure that would let certain counties raise their sales taxes a half-cent to pay for school construction costs. The idea is something of a replacement for the proceeds from the lottery, which didn't get finished this year.

Yes, Guilford County is included in this bill right now, despite the fact the delegation is not all for it. The bill got tentative approval this morning (Thursday) and could get is final approval from the House Monday night.

Which raises the question...why bother?

If the Senate really isn't returning, the best you can hope to do at this point is to have the bill ready for the start of next year's session in May...right?

There are three major schools of thought on this question.

SCHOOL A: The House leadership has simply gone bananas after too many late night sessions. That, or they're just trying to make a point that the House is doing the people's work while those lazy Senators go home.

SCHOOL B: House leaders think they'll be able to goad the Senate into coming back.

Now, Senate Leader Marc Basnight said this on a conference call with reporters Wednesday: "We finished our work and we won't be coming back." He said that about 50 different ways. He sounds pretty firm on the point.

The problem: it's not, strictly speaking, accurate.

The Senate is holding skeleton sessions to comply with the constitutional obligation they meet every three days while the General Assembly is around. Only a joint-resolution with the House can shut things down.

And the Senate will have to haul at least 26 members in to pass that joint resolution.

There is some thought that between having to haul at least 26 members into town anyway, an as-yet unseen public hue and cry over the lottery not passing, some too-tempting to ignore piece of legislation that the House sends over and/or a veto by the governor might entice the Senate back into action.

I wouldn't bet on that...but I wouldn't bet against it either. This is a weird place.

SCHOOL C: Supporters of the bill in the House are actually trying to get it done so the bill will be ready when the Senate comes back in May.

Why the rush then?

This school takes not that next year the General Assembly holds what's known as a "short session," which is designed to take care of urgent matters, tweak the state budget and head home to campaign.

During short sessions, both written and unwritten rules of either chamber keep the honorables from taking up local bills that are not agreed upon by all of the delegation from a single county. (Local bills are bills that affect specific counties rather than the whole state.)

Although the sales tax bill is not strictly speaking a local bill (it affects too many counties for that status to apply) it is very much like a local bill in its form and affect.

Supporters might be thinking they need to get it passed now so that the no-controversy rules for the short session don't apply.

I've heard each of these schools of thought expressed today ... take your pick. Me ... I'm off to take a nap. We'll see you back here tomorrow (Friday).