The Durham-based Center for Responsible Lending is backing House legislation that targets what the group calls predatory lending practices by some North Carolina auto dealers who finance their customers' loans.

"This is taking advantage of car buyers in the worst way, along with taking their hard-earned money each and every payment," Chris Kukla, lobbyist for the Center for Responsible Lending, said in a press release. "What's worse is car dealers are not even required to disclose marked up interest rates to buyers under state law."

In a report called "Car Trouble" published Thursday, the group describes practices it calls dealer kickbacks, loan packing and "yo-yo scams," Bruce Siceloff reports.

Rep. Dan Blue of Wake County has sponsored a bill aimed at the practices, while auto dealers said the report was misleading.

More after the jump.

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The legislature will again consider buying more efficient cars.

A proposal to wean state government off of gas-guzzlers has resurfaced and car dealers who helped kill it last time say they'll stay neutral.

The bill would require the state Department of Administration give preference to cars in the top 15 percent of their class for fuel economy. Police cars and ambulances would be exempt.

The N.C. Automobile Dealers Association, which opposed the bill last year, opposed a similar bill that would have mandated that the state buy more efficient cars, but it will remain neutral as long as the state only prefers them.

"It's just like night and day," said Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat who sponsored the bill. (AC-T)

Business has picked up at the State Highway Patrol's used cruiser sale.

The patrol has received about 25 calls and sold several cars since it sent out a statewide news release Friday saying there were more than 200 cars available, Dan Kane reports.

These are high-mileage, but regularly maintained Chevy Impalas and Ford Crown Victorias that are three to six years old. They range in price from $4,800 to $6,500.

Each car sold generates money for new patrol cars.

The patrol is having a difficult time moving the cars because the typical customers — local police agencies — haven't been buying. The patrol said the cars have already had the price cut by roughly $500, and there are further discounts for cars that have more than 90,000 on the odometer.

For more information, contact the patrol at 919-733-7956 and ask for Sgt. Frank Pierce or Joan Curtis.

State legislators have now asked for $87.9 million.

Seven more bills filed since Dome last checked have added another $14 million in spending requests for specific programs, even as the state faces a $2 billion shortfall.

The largest request of the most recent batch is $11.8 million for the N.C. Center for Automotive Research for a driving course and other facilities. That bill also asks for $6.4 million in next year's budget. The smallest request is for $129,000 in upgrades at the Ingram Planetarium.

Other spending bills filed so far this week would replace the roof at Gates County High School, repair the historic Newbold-White House, provide support to people with dementia and their caregivers and expand social work programs at state colleges.

In addition, a bill was filed in the House that is identical to a Senate bill that would provide $44 million in bonuses to teachers that were not given out in 2007.

Those two bills remain the single largest requests for spending so far.

In addition to the spending this year, the special appropriations bills also call for an additional $7.9 million in next year's budget.

* U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler raised "a six-figure sum" at a fundraiser in Raleigh Monday featuring former President Bill Clinton, according to a spokesman.

* State Rep. Pricey Harrison said she's going to push again for a law that would require new cars sold here to emit fewer gases blamed for global warming.

* Democratic pollster Tom Jensen argues Civitas' polling on the 2010 Senate race was affected by the fact they don't include party affiliation for the candidates.

* Bill deadlines. House: April 1 for local bills, April 8 for non-budget, May 6 for budget. Senate: March 11 for local and March 25 non-budget. Crossover is May 14.

* Charlotte Observer columnist Jack Betts says lobbyist Roger Bone was "an honest man who told legislators the truth."

* Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Jordan Schrader spots Mike Easley at U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler's fundraiser.

* WUNC radio reporter Laura Leslie sees a lot of pink for Coach Kay Yow at the legislative building.

* Progressive commentator Molly Diggins wonders if North Carolina will push for tougher fuel efficiency standards.

* Democratic consultant Gary Pearce argues legislators will be cautious so they can control 2010 redistricting.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole faced two key votes on mileage standards in 2003.

At the time, the U.S. Senate was considering a mammoth energy bill, with debate going on for more than two months. Two of the many proposed amendments to the bill touched on Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars, trucks and SUVs.

At the time, the mileage standards were 27.5 mpg for cars and 20 mpg for SUVs and minivans.

Durbin Amendment: Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, proposed raising mileage standards by specific amounts, including a benchmark of 32 miles per gallon by 2008. The amendment failed 65-32, with Dole voting against it.

On the Senate floor, Durbin argued that the existing standards were causing "more air pollution" and "creating a bigger soup in the atmosphere to heat up our planet Earth."

Bond-Levin Amendment: Sens. Christopher Bond, a Missouri Republican, and Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, then proposed directing the Secretary of Transportation to raise mileage standards to the "maximum feasible" amount. The amendment passed 66-30, with Dole voting for it.

Arguing for his amendment, Bond said that too-high standards would lead to more dangerous car accidents and said that car buyers favor safety over mileage standards.

In the end, both votes were a moot point, since the Senate energy bill was shelved and never came to a vote.

In an e-mail to Dome today, a Dole staffer said the Durbin standards were "arbitrary" and would have favored foreign automakers.

"The amendment that was rejected would have been unrealistic and have cost thousands of manufacturing jobs," wrote Marty Ryall.