A Senate judiciary committee approved a proposed ban on driving while texting Tuesday with few questions.

The bill, which already cleared the House, could go to the Senate floor this week.

"At the end of the day it's about safety," said Rep. Garland Pierce, a Democrat from Wagram and chief sponsor of the bill.

Lobbyists for AAA, State Farm Insurance and "the beleaguered automobile manufacturers all spoke in favor of the legislation.

Under the bill, texting while behind the wheel would be an infraction punishable by a $100 fine, and texting while driving a school bus would be a misdemeanor, drawing a $200 fine.

It's the Zapruder film of hugs.

A brief snippet of video from UNC-TV has been watched by political observers around North Carolina today who want to know if Gov. Beverly Perdue snubbed Superintendent June Atkinson on Monday.

Perdue and Atkinson have been engaged in a battle royale of late over which of them should have control over state education.

So when Perdue made her way to the podium in the House chamber to give her biennial State of the State address to the legislature, her behavior toward Atkinson was watched.

As seen in the video, Perdue shook hands and hugged several state politicians, including Rep. Garland Pierce, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and state Auditor Beth Wood.

But between Marshall and Wood, she bypassed Atkinson, who was standing less than two feet away.

Was it intentional, or just an oversight in a busy evening? Watch the video for yourself and decide.

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

The N.C. House adopted a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to give or sell a cell phone to an inmate.

The bill is in response to reports that cell phones have been found in prisons, including twice on death row. An earlier version of the bill made passing cell phones to inmates a felony.

Lawmakers reduced the penalty because they didn't want to make it even tougher for prison guards who would already be fired to find another job, said Rep. Ronnie Sutton, a Pembroke Democrat.

Also sending a former guard to prison puts the guard in danger and makes it tougher for the state to deal with a dire shortage of prison beds, Sutton said.

The bill passed the House 117 to 0. It next goes to the Senate.

North Carolina has its share of preacher-legislators.

Offhand, Dome can think of at least three lawmakers who could form a "Preacher's Caucus" if they wanted to:

* Sen. Steve Goss, Southern Baptist minister in Western North Carolina.

* Rep. William Wainwright, presiding elder and bishop in the AME Zion Church.

* Rep. Garland Pierce, Baptist minister at Bright Hopewell Church in Laurinburg.

Rep. Garland Pierce
Scotland County Democrat
Third Term

What two things would you cut in the state budget? He doesn't want to cut public safety, education, health care or social services, if possible. "The only places people are talking about (cutting) are in staffing. That can be a little leaner. When there are jobs that have not been filled, surely they will not fill them at this point. I don't know if a four-day workweek would work or not."

Are there any taxes you would be in favor of increasing? Not sure. He might be willing to support a modest increase in "sin taxes" on alcohol and cigarettes. "Those who enjoy those things, I'm not trying to tax them out of what they do," he said.

— Ryan Teague Beckwith 

Cell phones will be a hot topic in the legislature this session.

Already, three bills have been filed that would regulate when and where you can use the phones, and a legislative committee has recommended a fourth.

DRIVETIME CHAT: A bill sponsored by Sen. Charlie Dannelly would make it a traffic infraction to drive while using a cell phone, unless it was on hands-free mode or it was an emergency. A similar bill failed in the 2007 session.

TEXTING'S NEXT: Rep. Garland Pierce has filed a bill that would ban texting while driving. He said he expects it will be less controversial than Dannelly's bill. "When you have to start hitting numbers, you have to look down," he said.

PRISON CELL: Rep. Pierce has also introduced a bill that would prohibit cell phones in prison. In December, the N.C. Department of Correction said that at least two Death Row inmates have been found with cell phones.

RINGTONE MONEY: A joint revenue committee recommended earlier this week that the state begin taxing ringtones and other music delivered electronically at the same rate that it taxes music bought in stores.

More bills were filed this morning in the House:

H.B. 7: Victory Junction Gang Camp License Plate, Reps. Harold Brubaker, Pat Hurley

H.B. 8: Prohibit Cell Phones in Prison, Rep. Garland Pierce

H.B. 9: No Texting While Driving, Pierce

H.B. 10: Garnish Wages to Satisfy a Judgement, Reps. Tim Moore, Laura Wiley

H.B. 11: Regulation of Golf Carts in Grover, Moore

H.B. 12: Bioptic Lenses/Drivers License Tests

H.B. 13: Horn in the West Funds, Rep. Cullie Tarleton

H.B. 14: Chiropractic Services/Insurance, Tarleton

H.B. 15: Military Family Assistance Centers/Funds, Tarleton

State Rep. Alma Adams will again chair the Legislative Black Caucus.

At a meeting on Dec. 4, the caucus unanimously re-elected the Greensboro Democrat to a second term as chairwoman, despite speculation that she may take a role in Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue's administration.

Sen. Malcolm Graham was also chosen as first vice chair; Rep. Earline Parmon, second vice chair; Rep. Annie Mobley, secretary; Sen. Tony Foriest, treasurer; Rep. Garland Pierce, caucus chaplain; and Sen. Floyd McKissick, parliamentarian.

According to a press release, the caucus' goal is to promote legislative policies "responsive to the needs of all North Carolinians, particularly African Americans." In recent years, it has played a role in passing the state's Earned Income Tax Credit, among other things.

In 2007, the caucus was criticized when it was revealed that relatives of five members received college scholarships from its foundation.

The caucus will now have 31 members, including newly elected Reps. Elmer Floyd of Fayetteville, Pearl Burris Floyd of Gaston County and Nick Mackey of Charlotte and Sen. Don Davis of Snow Hill. In 2007, it had just 28 members.

Burris Floyd will be the group's only Republican.