Senators, representatives, their families, and scores of other government officials gathered Wednesday at the Legislative Building as the 2013 session of the General Assembly convened.

The day was absent of surprises as the leaders of both legislative chambers were re-elected to their posts without opposition. Most of the day was filled with pomp and circumstance as lawmakers met for an organizational session. After adjournment, lawmakers promptly left town to return in three weeks, when they’re expected to get down to business in earnest.

The Senate unanimously re-elected Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, as its president pro tem. The House also gave its unanimous approval for Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg to be speaker.

Both leaders gave hints of what to expect during the session, including tax reform and education reform.

“We will reform our outdated tax code,” Berger said, with Tillis saying lawmakers need to find way to lower taxes.

Tillis also said he’d like find ways to give local school systems more flexibility. And he put organized labor, which has faced setbacks in some northern states, that they shouldn’t expect to make any headway in North Carolina.

“North Carolina will continue to be the least-unionized state in the United States,” Tillis said.

Sen. Louis Pate, R-Wayne, was elected as deputy president pro-tem of the Senate. Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam, R-Wake, was elected speaker pro-tem of the House.

Wednesday’s meeting was a departure from the traditional opening day for the General Assembly. Usually, lawmakers come to Raleigh and continue their session after opening day ceremonies are completed.

However, this year, legislative leaders hope that the new format will allow for more efficient operations. They’re scheduled to return on Jan. 30.

There was little overt dissension, even as both chambers unveiled their rules of order for the upcoming session. Sometimes, such rules can get contentious.

Rep. Larry Hall, D-Durham, the House minority leader, said he thought that the crossover date — the time that most bills must pass one chamber in order to be eligible for consideration in the other chamber — was set too late. That date is set for May 16.

Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, also objected to the House placing a limit of 10 on the number of bills each member can introduce.

Rep. Leo Daughtry, R-Johnston, jokingly retorted that he questioned whether even 10 good laws would end up passing the General Assembly.

Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. They hold a 77-43 majority over Democrats in the House and a 33-17 majority in the Senate.

Two other GOP newcomers were in the building. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory attended both the Senate and House sessions. And Lt. Gov. Dan Forest presided over the Senate session and gave the invocation at the opening of the House session.

Barry Smith is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.