News-Record.com

It's a foggy, rainy morning here in Raleigh as the General Assembly prepares to fire up the session.

For the uninitiated: Elections were held in November. The General Assembly that convenes today is a brand-spanking new one. The honorables will have to elect officers, rearrange the deck chairs, swap offices and chairmanships, etc.

As for meeting the bosses, they're pretty much the same as the old bosses. House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate President Pro Tempore are widely expected to be re-elected. Of course, Gov. Bev Perdue is less than a month into her first term, and her relationship with the legislature will be closely watched.

From Guilford County: There's only one new player. Sen. Don Vaughan has taken U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan's place. Otherwise, your scorecard is the same as last year.

Issues? Yeah, the honorables have got some issues to deal with - complicated policy problems to solve, as well. There's:

• * the budget
• * environmental issues
• * the budget
• * or say ...the budget
• * and did we mention the budget?

The honorables swear to protect, defend and obey at noon today. You can find an audio stream of the pomp and circumstance here.

For those marking their calendars: The session is expected to run through sometime this summer, probably adjourning in late July or August. Then they should go home and return in May 2010. That doesn't account for special session or veto sessions. It's what would happen if everything goes as expected, which may be a bit much to ask this year. Budget problems have a history of making things drag out in unexpected ways.

Everyone buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.