Today@NCCapitol (Sept. 14): Budget deal may be ready for review

July 1 was the beginning of the new fiscal year, but it has taken House and Senate Republicans until this weekend to hash through their differences over taxes and spending. Although the House and Senate drafted their chambers' budget proposals largely in the open, the conference process used to craft a compromise has been entirely behind closed doors. In the end, the final deal appeared to be crafted by the chambers' two top leaders and a handful of staffers in a conference room.

Although a handful of top lawmakers have worked on the bill in recent days, most rank-and-file members – even those who, in theory, serve on the conference committee working out the final compromise between the House and the Senate – don't know what's in it.

Members of the House conference committee have been told to expect a 1 p.m. meeting on Monday.

All of that points to a bill being posted online Monday afternoon at the earliest, and some staffers warn it could be Tuesday morning before the full document is available.