House Democrats: no surprises
House Democrats once again chose Rep. Joe Hackney as their nominee for Speaker. Like Basnight, he'll have to wait until the first day of session before the choice will be official. Given that Democrats hold a majority of seats in the House and there's little dissension in the ranks, Hackney will almost certainly win a second term as the House's top dog.
Rep. Hugh Holliman of Davidson County will once again serve as majority leader.
After the caucus meeting this afternoon, Hackney said he was looking forward to working with Republicans, the new governor, the Senate, etc... to tackle the problems that need tackling. Like Basnight, he put the ailing probation system and mental health at the top of his list, adding that education classroom spending needed to be held harmless.
Asked about the budget gap Hackney observed that we really don't know what the budget numbers are. The folks predicting a $1.3 billion current year deficit and those predicting a $3 billion deficit can both make a case.
But both numbers are "pretty raw speculation" Hackney said.
While Basnight talked about the need to find new revenue - even if only through closing tax loopholes - Hackney was much more circumspect about looking for new money to spend.
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