State Rep. Becky Carney says she hopes to return to the legislature next week, more than two months after collapsing in her House office.

The Charlotte Democrat hasn’t returned since a fellow legislator and emergency crews revived her after she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, Jim Morril of The Charlotte Observer reports.

"It takes time to build your strength back up," Carney, 64, said Monday. "As they say, I died and (was) revived."

Carney lost a pulse after collapsing due to what doctors later called heart arrhythmia.

Rep. Bob England, a physician, administered a shock from a portable defibrillator before she was taken to the hospital.

More after the jump.

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Some recent House bills of note:

H.B. 433: Change Corporate Income Tax, Rep. Harold Brubaker

H.B. 442: Parental Involvement in School Discipline, Reps. Martha Alexander, Susan Fisher, Rick Glazier and Earline Parmon

H.B. 443: Increase Class Size in the Public Schools, Reps. Paul Stam and Laura Wiley

H.B. 453: Increase Cig. Tax/Proceeds to MHTF, Reps. Verla Insko, Beverly Earle and Alexander

H.B. 494: Superior Court Judge May Perform Marriage, Reps. William Wainwright, Dan Blue and Garland Pierce

H.B. 504: Tax Credit for Energy-Efficient Homes, Reps. Fisher, Pricey Harrison, Bruce Goforth and Ruth Samuelson

Recent House bills of note:

H.B. 370: Salary of Secretary-Health and Human Services, Rep. Verla Insko

H.B. 388: Campaign Disclosure, Reps. Beverly Earle, Earline Parmon, Marvin Lucas and Becky Carney

H.B. 390: Poultry Worker Protection, Reps. Earle and Insko

H.B. 397: Conscience Protection/Contraceptive Coverage, Rep. Mark Hilton

H.B. 399: U.S. Senate Vacancies, Rep. John Blust

H.B. 409: Annual Archeology Reports, Rep. Ronnie Sutton

H.B. 413: Limit Legislators to Four Consecutive Terms, Rep. Johnathan Rhyne

Who's in the Legislative Black Caucus?

Started in 1983, the nonprofit group of black lawmakers discusses common issues in the legislature, holds an annual conference and runs a foundation.

It currently has 21 members in the 120-member House and nine in the 50-member Senate.

Though members of the group do not agree on all issues, they have enough clout to help deliver — or block — a closely contested bill in the legislature.

Some members of the black caucus could play a key role in a smoking ban this year.

Though the majority of the caucus voted for a similar ban in 2007, the handful who didn't helped defeat it. Of those who voted against it, Reps. Beverly Earle, Earl Jones, Mickey Michaux and Earline Parmon are still in office.

Rep. Ty Harrell was absent, while Reps. Pearl Burris-Floyd, Elmer Floyd, Sandra Spaulding Hughes and Nick Mackey were not in office then.

A full list after the jump.

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A few more bills from the House today:

H.B. 84: No Bail for Certain Illegal Aliens, Reps. Justin Burr, Pearl Burris-Floyd

H.B. 87: DOL Enforcement Positions/Funds, Reps. Beverly Earle, Jennifer Weiss, Angela Bryant, Jean Farmer-Butterfield

H.B. 88: Healthy Youth Act, Reps. Bob England, Susan Fisher, Alma Adams, Winkie Wilkins

The state House will have 38 women next session.

Nearly two-thirds of the women are from cities with more than 20,000 residents, including a third who represent urban areas in Wake, Mecklenburg and Guilford counties.

Charlotte is the best represented, with five women: Reps. Becky Carney, Martha Alexander, Beverly Earle, Tricia Cotham and Ruth Samuelson. Greensboro has three and Raleigh two.

The women from smaller towns hale from Grifton, Wilkesboro, Louisburg, Emerald Isle, Dallas, Ahoskie, Mocksville, Farmville, Hamlet, Mebane, Mount Airy, Hampstead and Hendersonville. Rep. Linda Coleman is from Knightdale, a close suburb of Raleigh.

Twenty-six of the women are Democrats; 12, Republicans.

The longest serving is Republican Rep. Julia Howard of Mocksville, now in her 11th term, followed by Democratic Reps. Martha Alexander of Charlotte and Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro, now in their ninth terms. Four new women were elected for the first time this year.

The women make up 32 percent of the 120-member House.

Pat McCrory said two events inspired him to run for governor.

The first was in January of 2007 when he organized a caravan of public safety officials to Raleigh to lobby for courts funding. Gov. Mike Easley wouldn't meet with the group.

The second was in October, during a debate in his race for re-election. State Rep. Beverly Earle, his opponent, implied that state legislators were the boss, McCrory said.

"We cannot put up with this government that stays within the inner beltway of the state capital, that's tough to reach, that is having ethical issues," he said. "This is government that is not deserving of our great state of North Carolina."

McCrory will start the race with $300,000 leftover from his run for mayor. (Char-O)

Pat McCrory will resign from Duke Energy to run for governor.

In his campaign speech, McCrory made a brief allusion to the electric utility where he has worked since 1978, saying he will miss them, David Ingram reports.

He later clarified to Dome that he will resign once he finishes a few remaining projects. McCrory currently works as an economic development consultant, recruiting employers to North Carolina and South Carolina.

"I cannot run for governor, be mayor and work for my outstanding company," he said.

Dome then asked if he was retiring, or just resigning.

"I'm not old enough to retire," he said, laughing.

Dome also asked how he would respond to potential calls from Charlotte Democrats for him to resign as mayor to run for governor.

"They're not giving that same feedback to Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue or to the existing treasurer (Richard Moore)," he said. "Or to my opponent for mayor when (state Rep.) Beverly Earle ran against me."

Charlotte voters elected Republican Pat McCrory to a record seventh term, according to the Associated Press.

McCrory defeated Democratic state Rep. Beverly Earle, according to unofficial totals.

Rep. Beverly Earle defended a controversial lending bill she sponsored.

At a breakfast forum Tuesday, the Charlotte Democrat responded to criticism from Mayor Pat McCrory for sponsoring a bill in 2006 that would have allowed lenders to charge up to 60 percent for short-term loans.

Critics say that such high interest rates hurt consumers. Earle had proposed the bill a year after the state's Banking Commission and Attorney General Roy Cooper efffectively banned payday lending in North Carolina.

McCrory, who is facing Earle in the Charlotte mayoral race, criticized her for sponsoring the bill.

"I did not sponsor a bill on payday lending," Earle told the group. "I've tried to correct that, but it's hard to correct if you don't have enough ink."

She said the bill was designed to give people easier access to loans. (Char-O)