News-Record.com

This story about an N+O reporter being shut out of a budget meeting has prompted some discussion, including from editorial writer Doug Clark. Doug and others have asked how it can be that the General Assembly can just ignore the law. Well they can't, or at least haven't in this case. Here's the explanation I wrote over at Doug's:

Doug,

This is a case where what's right and what's legal don't mesh up.

What's right would be for the entire budget process to be in the open. Period. End of story.

Some operations of the General Assembly are, and have been for years, exempt from the open meetings laws. One of those exceptions (involves) conference committees of the general assembly (see GS 143-318.18). The budget is in conference committee now between the House and Senate, so that's one out.

Also, the meeting that Kane was booted from involved just the chairs of the conference committee, not even close to a quorum of membership. So they have an out on two fronts.

So was there a legal justification required for closing the meeting? Yes, two of them.

Should they have let Kane, or anyone else who wanted to in? Certainly we scruffy media types would prefer that. It would be in the best interest of the public understanding how their $21 billion (give or take) is spent.

By the way, budget negotiators are back at work today (Sunday), supposedly getting together at 8:30 a.m. I'm told two different stories: one that they're going to try to finish today and the other that they'll try to finish on Monday. Either way, they're gunning to get the final bill passed by Friday, July 4.