During a behind-closed-doors meeting of its caucus, GOP lawmakers discussed their strategy on various issues unaware that their remarks were being heard by members of the state press corps in the General Assembly press room.

Someone had left the microphones on.

Over the live feed, reporters heard House leaders warn members against asking about a redistricting provision in the $19.7 billion budget they were getting ready to approve.

If any questions come up, Majority Leader Paul Stam said, Rep. David Lewis should answer them. Lewis is a Harnett County Republican and the House Redistricting Committee's senior chairman.

"On one point, I only want David Lewis to talk," said Stam, an Apex Republican. "The talk about redistricting and this thing in the budget is extremely sensitive to the other people not in this room who are voting with us. No one but David talk. David can obfuscate more than anybody I know."

The "other people not in this room" is an apparent reference to the five Democrats voting with Republicans on the budget.

House Speaker Thom Tillis reminded members not to talk about "Democrats," but to refer to individuals by name.

"Please, do not go after the Democrats. If you want to go after an individual member for saying something stupid, gut punch them," he said. "These five Democrats are going after her [Gov. Bev Perdue]."

The news of Perdue filling an executive order to restore unemployment benefits broke while they House Republicans were still meeting.

"Either way, she's incompetent," he said. "We really need to crack on her for this. This is probably one of the worst things she's done."

Rep. Mark Hilton, a Catawba Republican, told members of his caucus that groups supporting a constitutional gay-marriage ban need a vote this year so they can organize their get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Hilton called the session "one of the most conservative, pro-family legislative sessions I've ever seen."

The amendment "is important to conservative groups," he said. "They need to be able to get their ground-game working to get out the vote for it to be on the November ballot." Tillis "assured us it would happen this year," he said.