The atmosphere was more Thunderdome than Under the Dome at the annual House vs. Senate milk-chugging for charity contest Wednesday.

Pages and legislative assistants hollered for their favorite chamber ("Go Senate! Come on House!) and specators jockeyed for a view of six distiguished public officeholders sucking on straws jammed into tiny plastic milk bottles.

Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican, was not above a little pre-chug smack talk.

"This is the sound of your defeat," he said to his Senate opponents as he silently popped off the plastic cap of one of his milk bottles.

The contest was sponsored by the state's dairy industry and the Department of Agriculture.

Reps. Lewis, Arthur Williams (D-Washington) and Roger West (R-Marble) challenged Sens. Joe Sam Queen (D-Waynesville), Bob Atwater (D-Chapel Hill) and Andrew Brock (R-Mocksville).

It appeared to be a fair contest, although there were some rumblings about non-regulation straws and early chugging. The Senate team finished first, earning $200 for their favorite, as yet unnamed, charity. The House team will get $100 for charity.

(News & Observer photo by TAKAAKI IWABU).

Sen. Floyd McKissick may want to brush up on Senate rules.

The Durham Democrat, who has been in the Senate since 2007, missed a crucial opportunity to object to a motion to send his bill back to a committee during debate this morning.

McKissick's bill would allow counties to provide health insurance to former employees. But Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand objected, saying it could allow former county commissioners to get insurance benefits for too long.

During discussion of the bill, a number of senators raised questions about what kinds of employees would be affected, including part-time or short-time workers.

Sen. Bob Atwater offered an amendment that would require counties to establish a policy before extending benefits.

Rand, an old hand at parliamentary procedure, then moved to re-refer the bill to the committee on pensions and retirement so the amendment could be considered there.

More after the jump.

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The Military Veterans Caucus is the largest in the legislature.

The bipartisan caucus is made up of 64 "military veterans, those who represent a district with military interest, and others with a particular interest in military affairs," according to a press release from Speaker Joe Hackney's office.

This year, it includes 49 representatives and 15 senators.

That makes it bigger than the 30-member Legislative Black Caucus as well as the 43 women in the legislature.

The caucus' steering committee is made up of Democratic Sen. Bob Atwater, Republican Sens. Harry Brown and Pete Brunstetter, Democratic Reps. Larry Hall and Grier Martin and Republican Rep. Ric Killian.

Atwater served in the Air Force; Brunsetter, in the Navy; Hall, in the Marines. Martin and Killian are Army reservists and Brown's district includes Camp Lejeune.

The caucus will meet for the first time this session next week.

After the jump, the members.

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Here are the chairs of the other Senate committees, the senators who often decide what bills get debated and voted on by the committee.

Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources -- Sen. Bob Atwater, Chapel Hill Democrat

Commerce -- Sen. R.C. Soles, Tabor City Democrat

Education -- Sen. Vernon Malone, Raleigh Democrat and Sen. Richard Stevens, Cary Republican

Finance -- Sen. David Hoyle, Dallas Democrat; Sen. Dan Clodfelter, Charlotte Democrat and Sen. Clark Jenkins, Tarboro Democrat

Health Care -- Sen. William Purcell, Laurinburg Democrat and Sen. Stan Bingham, Denton Republican

Judiciary 1 -- Sen. Martin Nesbitt, Asheville Democrat

Judiciary 2 -- Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, Concord Republican

Mental Health and Youth Services -- Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, Carrboro Democrat and Sen. Malcolm Graham, Charlotte Democrat

Pensions/Retirement/Aging -- Sen. Tony Foriest, Graham Democrat

Rules -- Sen. Tony Rand, Fayetteville Democrat

State and Local Government -- Sen. Ed Jones, Enfield Democrat and Sen. Don East, Pilot Mountain Republican

Transportation -- Sen. Larry Shaw, Fayetteville Democrat

Ways & Means -- Sen. Charlie Dannelly, Charlotte Democrat

Select Committee on Energy, Science and Technology -- Sen. Katie Dorsett, Greensboro Democrat and Sen. Joe Sam Queen, Waynesville Democrat

Gov. Mike Easley and state Sen. Bob Atwater are doing battle with Scrooge.

Easley announced this afternoon that he has signed into law a bill that requires gift card vendors to disclose any maintenance fees. Consumer advocates have said consumers are often initially unaware of the fees.

Easley, in a statement, said the new law "will prevent consumers from becoming unwitting cheapskates when they give a gift."

And Atwater, the Chatham County Democrat who sponsored the bill, said in a statement that the bill will assure consumers "that their generosity is not subverted by a hidden Scrooge."

Some statewide candidates could qualify for publicly financed campaigns under proposed legislation.

A Senate bill would help fund all Council of State races except governor and lieutenant governor. A House bill is more of a pilot, funding races for state auditor, insurance commissioner and superintendent of public instruction.

Here's how it works:

Candidates would have to refuse contributions from big-money donors and political action committees. If they could show public support — between $25,000 and $200,000 in small donations and a primary win — they would qualify for several hundred thousand dollars for the general election.

The bills differ on how much money, how to pay for it and when it would start.

The House uses the average of the last three winners' war chests and pays for it with the general fund, starting in 2008. The Senate calls for the median of both candidates' campaigns in the past two races and uses various agency fees to pay for it, starting in 2012.

Chris Heagarty, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, said that the pilot program faced less resistance from current elected officials.

Co-sponsors of the two bills include Orange Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird, Wake Sen. Janet Cowell, Chatham Sen. Bob Atwater, Durham Rep. Paul Luebke and Wake Reps. Deborah Ross, Grier Martin and Linda Coleman.