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The state Senate passed its $20.6 billion budget along party lines, moving the plan on to the House for consideration.

Welcome to Crossover Week on Jones Street. Think the action’s been fast so far? Well, hold onto our elephant ears, this week lawmakers will be shoveling as many bills as possible through committee and out to their floors for a vote to meet a Thursday deadline dubbed crossover.

The House and Senate rules say that bills that don’t raise or spend money or propose amendments to the state constitution must pass either the House or Senate by Thursday to be considered during the session. Of course, rules are made to be circumvented, so there are many ways to keep legislation alive. Dome’s favorite: Strip a bill that has already crossed over of its language and insert your bill of choice.

***Thanks for reading the Dome Morning Memo. Read more about the issues hanging in the balance this week at the legislature. And send news and tips to dome@newsobserver.com.***

The state Senate passed a bill creating a separate regulatory board for charter schools by a vote of 32-17.

The charter school board would be responsible for handing out new charters and shutting down inadequate schools, diluting the State Board of Education's powers. State Board Chairman Bill Cobey opposes the bill and questions its constitutionality.

Sen. Jerry Tillman, an Archdale Republican and the bill's sponsor, said charters give parents choice. "When you have a choice, the free market works," he said.

Democrats said Republicans were over reaching.

"Keep this up and you're going to destroy the very thing you're trying to promote," said Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat.

The bill now moves to the House for consideration.

The state Senate, with 26-22 vote, gave final approval to a bill that would give select local jurisdictions the option of foregoing publication of legal notices in newspapers in favor of posting them on their own government websites.

The bill would affect Mecklenburg and Guilford counties, most of Wake, and other counties and towns. The bill now goes to the House.

Government legal ads are an important source of income for newspapers, especially small, free community papers. Newspapers print zoning notices, new ordinances, lists of delinquent taxpayers, and post them on their websites.

Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, said the bill creates a confusing patchwork, where residents won't know where to look for government notices. More people read newspaper websites than government sites, he said.

"People are going to be less informed, and I think we're all going to be diminished because of it," said Nesbitt, the Senate minority leader.

Sen. Jim Davis, a Macon County Republican, said government payments shouldn't be part of the business model for newspapers. Local governments should have options for where to place their ads, he said.

"They know what's best for them," Davis said. "We don't in Raleigh."

Several Republican senators have introduced a bill that would bar parents from claiming a tax deduction for a dependent child who registers to vote where he or she attends college.

“We are simply equalizing the playing field for all voters in our state,” said Senators Bill Cook of Chocowinity, Ronald Rabin of Spring Lake, and Norman Sanderson of Havelock, the bill's sponsor said in a statement.

Senate Democratic leader Martin Nesbitt of Asheville has criticized the measure. “Apparently the Republicans are turning to use the tax code to keep young people from voting at their poll of choice,” Nesbitt said.

Other Democrat's described it as a “poll tax,” because people would have to pay more taxes, based on where their children cast their ballots.

Legislative Democrats sent out a fundraising letter today asking for money to pay for the Democrats' redistricting lawsuit.

Democrats, civil rights groups and nonprofits suing over the GOP-drawn maps have had some setbacks recently. Their effort to get state Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby to recuse himself from redistricting decisions failed. The larger case is remains in front of a panel of three Superior Court judges. "Carrying this fight to the courts is an expensive proposition, but critical for the future of our state," the email says.

Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt of Asheville, House Minority Leader Larry Hall of Durham, Senate minority whip Josh Stein of Raleigh and House deputy minority leader Michael Wray of Gaston signed the email.

Senate Democrats re-elected Martin Nesbitt as the minority leader and Sen. Josh Stein of Raleigh as minority whip for the next two years.

The selections, reported by the Associated Press, end rumors circulating through Raleigh that Senate Democrats were looking to shake up their leadership after losing two seats in the 2012 election that will keep them solidly in the minority. Republicans will hold super majorities in both legislative chambers next year.

Nesbitt represents Asheville. He served more than two decades in the N.C. House and four-plus terms in the Senate. He won Senate majority leader in 2009 when Democrats controlled the chamber.

Stein, who lives in Raleigh, will start his third term in January.

AP also reported that Senate Democrats selected Sens. Gladys Robinson of Greensboro, Floyd McKissick of Durham and Clark Jenkins of Tarboro as deputy minority leaders.

Democrats in the state Senate will meet Dec. 20 to pick leaders for their shrinking caucus. Democratic membership in the chamber will slip from 19 to 17 as a result of last month's elections.

Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, said he expects to be reelected minority leader next week. "We're going to have a discussion of it," he said. "I think that's the way we're going."

When the Senate Democratic Caucus meets in mid-December to select the minority leader – another term for Sen. Martin Nesbitt, Jr. or someone else – members insist the decision will not be contentious and that talks will be more centered on the best strategy for working with the Republican majorities that are all around.

“The fact of the matter is, there’s a small enough number of us that everyone in the caucus is going to have their voice heard,” said Sen. Dan Blue. “Nobody has called around to indicate any change or specific candidates.”

State officials were grilled Tuesday over how the first local mental health office to change its operations under a new state law stumbled out of the gate.

Western Highlands Network, the first local mental health office to become a managed care organization -- essentially an insurance company working with state and Medicaid money to cover mental health treatment -- is not doing well. Its CEO was fired a few weeks ago after his office reported a $3 million deficit in its first six months.

All counties in the state are set to be covered by managed care organizations by January.  Under this system, the local mental health offices get a set amount of money to buy treatment for people with mental illnesses.

Legislators seem worried. Chairmen of the legislature's mental health oversight committee met privately with local mental health chiefs for status reports before the public meeting started. State officials faced intense questioning from perturbed lawmakers.