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. 

The House late Monday gave final approval to a bill making cyberbullying a class 1 misdemeanor.

The bill makes it a crime to intimidiate or torment a minor over the internet, such as in an internet chat room, through an altered image posted on the internet or by signing a minor up for a pornographic web site.

Rep. Nick Mackey, a Mecklenburg Democrat and chief sponsor of the bill, said the internet allows a bully to follow the victim outside of school, even at home.

As the Senate readied to end their session and leave Raleigh on Friday, they worked late into Thursday night passing a flurry of bills. A few notable bills that received the chamber's approval:

HB 713: Increases the tax credit for movie production companies that some say will cost the state money. The bill resembles a similar tax credit that was winding its way through the legislature earlier this session. The bill goes back to the House for final approval.

HB 1261: Makes it a criminal offense to engage in "cyber bullying," which the act defines as intimidating or tormenting minors online by following them into chat rooms, repeatedly contacting them, posting pictures without their consent or engaging in a number of other actions. It now goes back to the House for concurrence.

SB 293: Originally would have allowed deaf citizens to serve on juries to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the House removed that provision of the bill. The version that passed the Senate tonight only requires that the register of deeds store an electronic copy of the juror list. It now goes to the governor's desk.

HB 274: Makes about a dozen technical changes to the General Statutes to clarify wording. A notable change: the law prohibiting blue lights on vehicles other than police cars would not apply to non-functional lights. So fire up that replica ghost-busting Ectomobile. Seriously. A replica ghost-busting vehicle was the reason for this change. The Senate ain't 'fraid of no ghosts.

What did the House pass by crossover?

Here are some of the more interesting bills that made it past the upper chamber before the deadline to be considered by the Senate:

H.B. 9: Bans texting while driving.

H.B. 88: Allows parents to choose comprehensive sex ed for their children.

H.B. 813: Allows people to collect money from negligence lawsuits even if they are somewhat at fault as well.

H.B. 961: Bans campaign contributions from officers of companies that have state contracts.

H.B. 1185: Allows habitual drunk drivers to get their licenses restored after 10 years with some conditions.

More after the jump.

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House members overwhelmingly backed legislation Thursday that makes it a crime to bully a minor over the Internet.

Rep. Nick Mackey, a Mecklenburg County Democrat and chief sponsor of the bill, said the Internet takes bullying off the school bus and out of the classroom and puts it into the community.

"It allows the bullies to reach the victim anytime," Mackey said. "The victim can't even go home to escape it."

The bill, which passed by a 112 to 4 vote, would make it a class 1 misdemeanor to, among other violations, torment a minor in an Internet chat room or post an altered image of a minor on the Internet with the intent to embarrass or intimidate them.

The bill passed without any of the divisive debate that accompanied a broader bill in the Senate that requires schools to institute anti-bullying policies. That legislation drew heat because it identifies various characteristics, including sexual orientation, about which a student may be bullied.

Mackey's bill, on the other hand, refers to all minors.