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UPDATED: The disgraced former chief of staff to House Speaker Thom Tillis is launching a government relations firm that promises "access to the best lobbyists in the industry."

Charles Thomas, a former Republican state lawmaker, resigned in April after being questioned by The News & Observer about a romantic relationship with a lobbyists for the N.C. Homebuilders Association. 

Thomas called his new Asheville-based company, Third Reading, offering his services in government consulting, marketing, issue advocacy and campaign finance. He touts expertise on a variety of issues. "We assist our clients with advice in navigating the often cumbersome framework of government in a professional and business oriented manner.  We maintain a strong network of issue oriented campaign managers to assist our clients and have access to the best lobbyists in the industry," the website states.

Legislators get back to making laws Wednesday with a running start on some of the state’s most controversial issues.

House budget writers are preparing to present their spending plans to the public after weeks of behind-the-scenes work. Onshore drilling for natural gas will move quickly off the blocks and will face votes over the first few weeks. A plan to close a Medicaid budget shortfall also will see early action. A Senate committee on Wednesday will debate a bill allowing live poker, blackjack and other table games at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ casino. Get a legislative preview here.

More political headlines:

--The end of the John Edwards trial came into view Tuesday as his defense team told the judge that only three potential defense witnesses remain — the defendant, his daughter, Cate, and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter. Defense Attorney Abbe Lowell announced the list while informing Judge Catherine Eagles at the end of Tuesday’s proceedings that the defense may rest on Wednesday or Thursday.

--Republicans launched the first television commercial Tuesday in the November governor’s race, an attack ad that tries to link Democratic nominee Walter Dalton to the unpopular Gov. Bev Perdue. But the 30-second spot’s major points don’t fully meet the truth test. Here’s a claim-by-claim fact check.

Americans for Prosperity is offering a solution to lawmakers as protesters plan to descend on the statehouse Wednesday, banging pots and pans to make the opening of the session.

"We will be offering state workers, tourists and lawmakers 'NC Real Solutions ear plugs' to drown out the noise from these groups," a press released from the conservative group states.

(Insert joke about tone-deaf lawmakers here.)

And AFP hopes any lawmakers with earplugs will take them out at a certain point -- because they have an agenda to advocate, too. "We will be encouraging lawmakers to continue to focus on the real solutions offered by the bi-partisan state budget that not only closed the $3 billion budget deficit but also added state-funded teacher positions and lowered taxes," the statement reads. They will also "thank lawmakers for offering real solutions without increasing taxes.” 

Democratic legislative leaders are asking their GOP counterparts to review a statehouse rule that bans visitors from the second floor where the legislative chambers are located.

Rep. Joe Hackney and Sen. Martin Nesbitt believe House Speaker Thom Tillis' office incorrectly used the rule to evict protesters in February. (For more on the rule, click here.)

They are OK with not letting people viewing the building or observing the session walk the floor -- but believe the rule doesn't cover protesters.

The General Assembly gavels into session Wednesday with legislative leaders pledging to tackle big issues in a short time frame. The so-called short session is designed to tweak the two-year state budget approved in 2011. But the Republican lawmakers – starting just their second term at the helm of both the House and Senate – want to do much more. On the table are a bevy of controversial issues ranging from drilling for natural gas through fracking to requiring voter identification at the polls.

At the same time, GOP leaders want to finish business by the end of June, much sooner than during recent even-year sessions. Click here for a look at major issues on the agenda.

More political headlines below.

Gov. Bev Perdue issued her proposed budget Thursday and Republican legislative leaders soon issued statements essentially dismissing the document as a doorstop.

Republicans' problem: Perdue's budget is built on a 3/4-cent sales tax hike, making much of it unusable in their minds. 

Senate leader Phil Berger: "We must break state government’s habit of throwing money at problems and adopt innovative solutions and meaningful reforms.  The cycle of irresponsible taxing, borrowing, and spending must stop.” 

House Speaker Thom Tillis: “Gov. Perdue’s budget proposal is, disappointingly, more of the same failed approach that led to the fiscal mess the Republican legislative majority inherited. ... It is time we budget responsibly without demanding more from the pockets of our citizens.”

The attention shifts toward the legislative session starting next week and away from the election as Gov. Bev Perdue releases here budget proposal this morning. Perdue will ask legislators to spend an additional $562 million on K-12 schools and increase the state sales tax in the $20.9 billion budget.

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday made it clear they weren’t interested, setting up a rematch of last year’s budget battles between the Democratic governor and the GOP-led legislature. Get more details here.

But before Jones Street consumes the news, here's more from Tuesday's election:

--Angry and frustrated, organizers of the opposition campaign vowed to use the momentum to continue to push for legal protection. Activists in Durham and Wilson kicked off a seven-day protest across the state by sending gay couples to apply for marriage licenses. All the while, amendment opponents are refusing to accept that the 61-39 percent loss reflects how people in North Carolina feel about the issue.

--More amendment news: President Barack Obama shifts his stance on gay marriage, a day after the vote. North Carolina is ridiculed in social networking and online sites for its vote. A move to uproot the Democratic convention from Charlotte because of the amendment won't happen. And columnist Barry Saunders asks who the amendment backers will target next.

Amplifying the controversy surrounding Senate Bill 655, a nonprofit political group fighting the legislation filed a lawsuit against the N.C. State Board of Dental Examiners concerning a public records request.

Susan Fetzer Vick, the executive director of Alliance for Access to Dental Care, is the lead plaintiff. She filed a public records request March 13 with the board and received 5,800 pages of documents. But she contends thousands of pages are were improperly withheld or missing -- including emails between dental board members. The board maintains it adequately met the request.

Vick asks the court to act quickly because she was "advised that the 'agenda' for the May legislative session will be 'set' in April ..." Read the lawsuit below.

While John Edwards was in the last stages of his 2008 presidential campaign focusing on the poor, his pregnant mistress and political aide were exploring the wealthy upper side of Edwards’ “two Americas.”

The first two days of testimony in the criminal trial of the one-time Democratic hopeful have focused on posh hotels and resorts, big houses in exclusive neighborhoods and the super rich who can dole out thousands of dollars on short notice. Read more on the trial's second day.

In other political headlines:

--President Barack Obama is still the favorite among young voters but their enthusiasm doesn't seem to match his 2008 campaign, college students said Tuesday. Obama came to talk student loans and the millionaire former U.S. senator tried to appeal to his humble roots and his own college debt. If you missed him on Jimmy Fallon's show from UNC, watch it here.

President Barack Obama arrives at UNC-Chapel Hill on Tuesday with a message that may resonate with young voters worried about their economic future. In North Carolina, the higher interest rate would affect 160,000 students, adding $980 over the life of the average student loan, according to the White House.

At the same time, state financial aid dollars have declined; the UNC system suffered a 15.6 percent cut in state funding last year. A state need-based grant program was reduced by $35 million last year. On Monday, Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, said she would restore that $35 million for financial aid in her budget. Read more here.

Other political headlines:

--It did not take long for the John Edwards trial to get tawdry, and for once it was not the former presidential candidate at the center of the salacious allegations. It was Andrew Young, the former aide who is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. Get more details from the Greensboro federal courtroom and see a photo gallery.