Family illness pulls Basnight from Senate tasks

Senate leader Marc Basnight is stepping away from daily legislative work to deal with a family illness.

Basnight's staff would not elaborate Tuesday on the reason for Basnight's absence. The Manteo Democrat did not give a date for his return.

"It's a private family matter," said Amy Fulk, Basnight's chief of staff.

It is common knowledge in legislative circles that Basnight's wife is ill.

Basnight will check with the office regularly and is "absolutely engaged in what's going on," said Schorr Johnson, a Basnight spokesman.

"He will be engaged in the budget as he normally is," Johnson said. "He just may not be physically here."

In a letter to senators, Basnight said Sen. Charlie Dannelly, deputy president pro tem, will be responsible for running floor and committee schedules. Sen. Tony Rand, the majority leader, will help with other questions about Senate operations.

If any questions come up, Dannelly said, he will "contact Senator Basnight and the majority leader and try not to get a big head."

Dozens late on ethics filing

More than three dozen public officials have not filed their ethics statements.

The State Ethics Commission sent letters to 38 public officials last week notifying them that they face a $250 fine and other disciplinary action for not providing a statement of economic interest to prevent potential conflicts of interest.

The state's new ethics law requires roughly 4,400 public officials provide these ethics statements by March 15. Those who had not filed by then were given a notice in April that if they did not file within the next 30 days, they could face the fine and be removed from their public positions.

Most got the message the second time around. According to the commission, more than 500 had not filed by March 15, but after the second notice nearly 40 had still not responded.

Among the officials is a former member of the UNC Board of Governors who serves as a trustee at the N.C. School of the Arts and as a member of the regional economic development partnership for Western North Carolina.

But Sam Neill, a Hendersonville attorney, said he prepared a statement, only to find that his clerical staff had not sent it.

"I was stunned when I got the [fine] letter yesterday," said Neill. "I want off the list. I've got no business with the state. I've got no reason not to have filed it."

The list of nonfilers includes five members of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Persons With Disabilities, three members of the N.C. School of the Arts and three members of the Western North Carolina Regional Economic Commission, also known as AdvantageWest.

Debt without voter consent

Gov. Mike Easley and other top officials expressed concern Tuesday over a borrowing plan.

The Council of State, made up of the state's 10 highest elected officials, is going to consider a resolution next month to solidify the reservations it has with using certificates of participation for borrowing instead of voter-approved bonds.

Easley said he wants the state to issue no more than $25 million without a public vote. "There's too much reliance on COPs," he said.

Easley's budget proposal would use COPs to borrow about $250 million, however.

Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry and State Auditor Les Merritt also voiced strong concerns about the possible increased borrowing. "It's like having a credit card," Merritt said.

The House wants to borrow $400 million with COPs in its budget plan. The Senate went further -- it proposes about $1.2 billion in COPs borrowing.

The governor, House and Senate are negotiating over the different proposals to assemble one budget that can pass muster with all three.

The discussion came after the council approved COPs borrowing of about $200 million for a variety of projects already under way, including a parking deck near the state museums in downtown Raleigh.