News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Jones Street: 2005

August 13, 2005 Staff photo by Takaaki Iwabu
Making the long-awaited delivery of the state budget are, from left, assistant sergeants-at-arms Frank Prevo, James Womack and Mark Cone. 'Here comes our baby!' yelled a lobbyist as several of the dozen sergeants-at-arms in the N.C. House transported a few hundred early copies of the state budget from the legislative print shop to the House chamber Monday evening. The parade of paper was an attention-getter. 'Did it just fall from the sky?' quipped another lobbyist. Fortunately, no. The $17.2 billion spending plan -- approved by the House and Senate this week -- came in at 364 pages, 60 pages more than last year's final draft.

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