They're all gone, and here's what they left behind.

Lawmakers enacted 470 laws this session, according to Gerry Cohen, director of bill drafting. That includes bills already signed by Gov. Beverly Perdue, as well as local bills, which don't require her signature.

As of Tuesday evening, another batch of more than 100 bills still needed the governor's signature, which is required by Sept. 10, the 30th day after adjournment. 

Let's go to the big board: A potential total of 578 laws enacted in 2009, compared with 551 in the 2007 long session.

A total of 33 joint resolutions passed. Those often honor a prominent figure or make appointments to state commissions. The legislature passed 70 in 2007.

The N.C. House followed at 1:30 p.m. with its own adjournment and a larger crowd, since members were in full session yesterday.

The N.C. Senate adjourned at 1:06 p.m., completing a lightning round six-minute session that was convened for the purpose of adjourning.

Six senators were on hand as Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton presided.

The House, which met at noon, recessed and is due back at 1:15 for a similarly brief appearance. No votes were taken, but several bills had to be signed and shifted from one chamber to the other.

The legislature reconvenes on May 12, 2010.

The House is scheduled to convene at noon today for the absolute last bits of business for the legislature. The Senate wrapped up last week.  The plan is for leaders of the House and Senate to be signing the adjournment paperwork by mid-afternoon.

Gerry Cohen, director of bill drafting and the legislative equivalent of a Jedi Master, has assembled the important numbers. 

-- 463 laws enacted as of this morning in the 2009 Regular Session.

-- Six more become law tomorrow (local bills and the appointments bill).

-- 56 bills awaiting Gov. Beverly Perdue's signature, and she will get 53 more Tuesday, for a total of 109 pending.

-- September 10 is the deadline for her to act, the 30th day after adjournment.

-- Potential grand total of 575 laws enacted in 2009, compared with 551 in the 2007 long session. (The legislature alternates between "long" session years that start in January and "short" years that begin in the spring.)

Read Gerry's full post. 

Gov. Beverly Perdue this morning expressed satisfaction and relief that North Carolina was on the verge of getting a budget.

"I don't know about you, but I'm glad it's about over," the governor told the Council of State, a body of statewide elected officials, at their monthly meeting.

Perdue said the budget compromise met her two main conditions: no across-the-board income tax hike and no across-the-board increase in class sizes in the public schools.

But she added that there will be "tremendous cuts" as the state moves to close a huge deficit. The budget would raise income taxes on individuals earning $60,000 or couples earning at least $100,000. The budget would maintain class sizes from kindergarten through the third grade, and would leave it up to local officials whether to cut the higher grades.

The legislative session costs $50,000 a day.

To put it another way, $1 milion a month (figuring $50,000 a day for five days a week).

Those figures represent the added expense of having part-time legislative assistants at work, typing and printing bills, paying lawmakers' subsistence and travel, and a host of other costs related to making laws, said George Hall, the legislative services officer.

During session, all lawmakers receive a per diem of $104 per day. They also receive a roundrip mileage reimbursement from home to Raleigh for one trip a week. It is a part-time legislature, after all.

Rank-and-file members are paid $13,951 per year. The speaker and senate leader make $38,151 a year. 

Lawmakers had hoped to pack it in as early as next week. But Gov. Beverly Perdue's decision to scuttle a budget deal sent negotators back to the table. It's anyone's guess how long it will take to finish a budget, but lawmakers didn't sound optimistic.

The legislature's operating budget was approved at $59 million last year, although spending was slashed across all agencies. Hall said next year's budget would likely be between $51 million and $52 million.

Joe Sinsheimer says more change is needed at the General Assembly.

The former Democratic campaign consultant released a statement Wednesday on the conviction of former state Rep. Thomas Wright. Sinsheimer filed the initial complaint against the Wilmington Democrat in December 2006 with the State Board of Elections.

Here's his statement:

Thomas Wright's latest felony conviction is a sad end to a once promising political career.

Wright seems to have been undone by the same toxic combination of arrogance, hubris and greed that led to the downfall of former Speaker Jim Black. The indictments and convictions will continue until either the leadership of the General Assembly decides to change the culture of the institution or voters adopt a 'throw-the-bums-out' mentality.

Neither seems imminent, although both would be welcome.

Several lawmakers are subjects of ongoing investigations. The State Board of Elections is investigating a complaint about Sen. Julia Boseman, a Wilmington Democrat, and it has been reviewing the campaign finances of several Mecklenburg County Democrats in response to an investigation by The Charlotte Observer.

The House of Representatives voted in March to expel Wright from office, the first expulsion since the 19th century.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated whether any lawmakers are under investigation.

John Davis is no longer listed as the executive director of N.C. FREE.

After leading the business-backed research group for 23 years, Davis is working on contract as a political consultant for the group, its Web site says. The change in leadership follows several months of turbulence at N.C. FREE, including the departure of some of its biggest dues-paying members.

N.C. FREE lists Ron Ottavio as its interim executive director. Ottavio worked for Wachovia for 33 years before retiring. He spent his last six years managing the company's lobbying efforts in 16 states, and he was a registered lobbyist in Raleigh.

Ottavio also serves on the board of N.C. FREE's sister group in Virginia. Neither Davis nor Ottavio returned messages Monday from Dome.

N.C. FREE has long been known for its analysis and handicapping of N.C. elections, particularly elections for the General Assembly. Some members of the business community use the information to help decide where to contribute money.

Gov. Mike Easley has called the legislature back.

The session will start 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Easley had to call lawmakers back if he wants his veto of a boat bill to stand, because the law requires the governor to call a session so legislators can consider an override. Legislative leaders have signaled that they are interested in seriously discussing an override of the bill, which allows wider boat trailers to travel on state roads. 

An oversight committee expressed concern Friday that the N.C. lottery's benefits to education could be overstated.

Members of the Lottery Oversight Committee said that, in at least some cases, state lawmakers and Gov. Mike Easley appear to have used lottery revenue only to replace education money that would have come from elsewhere.

"It appears that there is a substantial degree of supplanting and not 100 percent supplementing," said Myron Coulter, co-chair of the committee and a former chancellor of Western Carolina University.

Committee members pointed to two of the four programs that the lottery is supposed to help fund: the More at Four program for pre-kindergarteners and teacher salaries to reduce elementary-school class sizes. In both cases, they said they suspected that lottery revenue is supplanting money that the General Assembly would have found from elsewhere.

"It appears to be the consensus of the committee that that's not a good thing," said co-chair William Harrison, superintendent of the Cumberland County Schools.

The committee said it intends to study the issue further and consider recommendations for lawmakers.

UPDATE: Easley budget adviser Dan Gerlach argues there has been no supplanting of previous education funding.

In a response sent Friday to Dome, Gerlach said the proper measure should be overall pre-K-12 education spending, which has continued to go up since the lottery's passage. The oversight committee should not try to speculate on what might have happened to specific programs without the lottery, he said.