From Carolina Journal Online (7/8/10): The North Carolina House and Senate have each passed ethics legislation in the waning days of the 2010 legislative session. There remain some significant differences between the two bills, leaving some political observers to wonder if lawmakers can strike a deal before going home to campaign.
They can strike such a deal, yes. But will they? It depends on how they think they can play the issue once they get home.
If the Democrats who run the two chambers believe they can run on the fact that they passed some version of an ethics bill – even if it didn’t become law – then they might be inclined to let things lie. For example, Senate leaders don’t like the provision of the House bill that puts a $1,000 cap on campaign contributions from contractors doing business with the state. The Senate version merely authorizes a study of the issue.
Politically speaking, however, I think the risks of adjourning without strengthening North Carolina’s laws against political corruption far outweigh any benefits the leaders of the respective chambers might expect to derive from standing firm.