Sen. Tony Rand is known for his pointed and colorful style. His quips are delivered in a deep, scratchy drawl, and impersonating him is an unofficial sport around the halls of the legislature and at Dome's office.

Over the years, he has provided plenty of memorable lines. "It is blindingly clear," he would often say during floor debates.

Here are some Rand moments:

To Sen. Ed Jones, about Jones' bill this year to regulate possession and handling of venomous snakes: "If we get a cobra loose in Fayetteville, will you come down there and catch it?"

Describing negotiations with prosecutors and defense lawyers over a 2003 bill to require prosecutors to turn all evidence over to defendants: "They argued, they prayed, they kicked, they gouged. ... We bled right smart on it."

Explaining in 2008 that the top issue for then-candidate Barack Obama was not a flag lapel pin but creating jobs, energy independence and solving the problems in the Middle East:

"If we can do those things, you know, he could walk around naked as far as I'm concerned and it would be fine."

Telling why he would not take a question on the state budget in 2008: "Because we're going to adjourn in a few minutes, and that's what it says."

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It's not only possible to become a state legislator without getting elected, but 31 of the 170 members of the legislature have done it.

Those lawmakers first took office after being selected by a small group of their party's leaders and then being appointed by the governor.

Since the current legislative term began in January, six lawmakers have taken office after their predecessor resigned or, in one case, died. A seventh new legislator will be selected soon to replace Sen. David Weinstein, D-Lumberton, who resigned in September. When a lawmaker leaves office early, his or her party leaders select a replacement who is appointed by the governor.

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Every agent at the N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement has a state-issued assault rifle, and two of the expensive and powerful firearms are missing.

"I am extremely concerned about this," said Bill Chandler, the state's ALE director since 2007. "We don't know where the weapons are."

The thefts and an accidental shooting this summer have led to new policies at ALE. At the same time, the incidents have brought attention to the agency's growing arsenal.

With just 104 full-time agents, ALE's primary responsibility is to enforce state laws on the purchase and sale of alcoholic beverages. Though its officers are rarely involved in situations where the use of deadly force is required, ALE is the only state law-enforcement agency to provide every agent with an assault rifle.

"Wow, I didn't know they had those," said Sen. Ed Jones, a Democrat from Enfield who is a retired state trooper. "I'm sitting here trying to think of a good reason to justify why ALE would need that much firepower, but I'm having some trouble." (N&O)

Last week House Speaker Joe Hackney defended his plans to spend some of the week at the National Conference of State Legislatures summit in Philadelphia.

Hackney was one of 10 lawmakers, all Democrats, from the state to register for the summit. Four legislative staff members were registered to go, according to the legislature's controller's office. The state would pay registration, $499 to $625, depending on when the attendee registered. Members were to pay their other expenses.

But on Monday, many on the list to go were not in Philadelphia. Like Hackney, members may move back and forth or just go later in the week, officials said.

The members signed up to go are:

Senate: Dan Blue (D-Raleigh), Charlie Dannelly (D-Charlotte), Katie Dorsett (D-Greensboro), Tony Foriest (D-Graham), Ed Jones (D-Halifax County).

House: Rick Glazier (D-Fayetteville), Hackney (D-Orange County), Phillip Haire (D-Sylva), Larry Hall (D-Durham), Bill Owens (D-Elizabeth City) 

Previously: Expenses minimal for NCSL trip to New Orleans. 

Mary Lyons, an assistant principal in Edenton who began the push to upgrade the penalty for second-degree murder, has been added to the board of the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network.

Lyons' son was murdered in Winston-Salem three years ago, and her concerns regarding the sentencing of her son's killer caused state Sen. Ed Jones, a Halifax County Democrat, to sponsor legislation this session that would boost sentences for second-degree murder to as much as life without parole, Dan Kane reports. The bill has not passed the legislature.

The network is a 23-year-old nonprofit organization that helps crime victims and their families deal with the justice system and advocates for laws and services that assist crime victims. The network's board has 18 seats. Board president William Hart said Lyons' efforts regarding the second-degree murder penalty issue brought her to the attention of the board.

The Senate approved a bill to regulate snakes.

Sen. Ed Jones sponsored the bill at the request of herpetologists to increase the penalties for pet owners who negligently release venomous snakes.

Senate Bill 307 would make it a Class I misdemeanor to improperly transport, let loose or otherwise expose the public to a creatures such as an African Rock Python, a Burmese Python or a Green Anaconda.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand wondered if the bill was tough enough.

"Is that sufficient penalty for turning a cobra loose on an innocent population?" he asked Jones.

Jones, a Halifax County Democrat, said that owners would have objected to tougher standards.

Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, then asked a more personal question.

"If we get a cobra loose in Fayetteville, will you come down there and catch it?" he asked.

"Only if it looks like a worm," Jones replied.

The bill passed 46-0 and now heads to the House.

Legislators are filing spending bills that won't be funded.

Since the start of the 2009 session, state lawmakers have filed 137 bills requesting $785.6 million in special appropriations — more than 25 percent of the $3 billion shortfall.

Some of the bills are narrowly targeted at a project within the legislator's district. Legislators say they are filing them as a way to let constituents know that they care about their needs.

Sen. Ed Jones, a Halifax County Democrat who filed 10 local spending bills, likened it to buying a lottery ticket.

"You can't win if you don't play," he said. 

But other legislators said they are inappropriate in a year when the state is already considering serious cuts to education and health programs. (N&O)

Sen. Ed Jones says filing a spending bill is like buying insurance.

The Halifax County Democrat has filed 10 bills seeking a total of $17.2 million in special appropriations.

He said that he knows with the state facing at least a $2 billion shortfall that chances are slim any of his projects will get funding.

But he said that he wants to make sure he's in line in case some extra money is found.

"I want my insurance policy out there just in case something does happen," he said. "People sent me up here to look after their best interest, and this is in their best interest."

All of Jones' proposals are for spending in the seven counties he represents: Repairing the historic Hope Plantation in Windsor, the Newbold-White House in Hertford, and the Barker House in Edenton; building a public library and a Boys and Girls Club in Ahoskie; replacing a high school roof and building a senior center in Gates County; and upgrading a child care facility.

The largest bill is for $11.8 million to expand and run the N.C. Center for Automotive Research in Jackson.

Jones said the spending is especially needed in the poorer northeastern counties he represents, saying it's comparable to a lottery ticket.

"You can't win if you don't play," he said.

More Senate bills of note:

S.B. 266: No Sex Offenders on Juries, Sen. Tony Rand

S.B. 272: Defense of Marriage, Sen. James Forrester 

S.B. 290: No Federal Stimulus Money for Illegal Aliens, Sen. Forrester

S.B. 305: Incentives for Energy Conservation, Sen. Dan Clodfelter

S.B. 307: Regulate Ownership & Use of Certain Reptiles, Sen. Ed Jones