Gov. Beverly Perdue has signed 59 of 108 bills on her desk as of this morning.

Perdue has 49 more bills to go, reports Gerry Cohen, the legsislature's bill drafting director on his Drafting Musings blog. The legislature left the pile of bills for Perdue, who by law, has 30 days to sign or veto them. The state has no pocket veto, so if the bills aren't signed by Sept. 11, they become law.

Cohen is keeping a running tab of bills signed. 

The new laws increase state oversight for fireworks display operators, establish tougher rules for using handicapped parking placards, ensure sex offenders can't drive a school bus and allow magistrates to carry a gun in a courthouse.

Still to be signed are bills that would make online bullying a misdemeanor, ban recreational use of an hallicinogenic herb, and ban smoking and cell phones in prisons. 

As the legislative session neared its finale, the House worked through a lengthy calendar of bills Thursday evening. Notable bills that received favorable votes included:

SB 563: Establishes new regulations for fireworks displays. Operators would have to have permits issued by the state and pass minimum standards of competency. The bill needs one more vote in the Senate. The bill is in response to a fatal accident July 4 in which four men were killed and a fifth injured on Ocracoke Island.

HB 473: Allows magistrates who have concealed carry permits to carry firearms in court. The bill now goes to the governor.

SB 203: Requires that handicapped placards to have a clearly visible expiration date. The bill is meant to help ensure that only people who need the cards can park in handicap spaces. The bill goes back to the Senate.

A group dedicated to reducing gun violence jeered Sen. Kay Hagan for her vote for an amendment that would have required states to recognize other states' concealed carry permits.

The Thune Amendment to the 2010 defense authorization bill, by Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, would have required states to recognize concealed weapons permits issued in other states. Individual states have varying laws on who can carry concealed weapons. Republican Sen. Richard Burr, an avid hunter, was a co-sponsor of the amendment.

It was Hagan, a Democrat, who took the brunt of the jeers from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence.

"What happened to states' rights?" said Sue Baker, board of directors president of the group. "North Carolina citizens trust that laws passed by our state legislature protect the public and keep us safe. The Thune Amendment would have made our North Carolina conceal carry laws obsolete."

The amendment failed.

The group noted that Hagan, as a state senator, voted for a bill that established guidelines for North Carolina to recognize other states' permits. The law stated that any state that recognized North Carolina's permits would have its permits recognized here.