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 bill would let magistrates carry guns into courthouses.

Rep. Pat Hurley, a Randolph County Republican, said she filed the bill to help magistrates, the lowest-level of judge in North Carolina.

Among other things, magistrates handle bail, often working late hours in rural areas.

"Some of them work in remote offices that are not staffed by bailiffs or law enforcement security," Hurley said. "They have been accosted by people who are intoxicated, emotional or agitated." 

She said the proposal would give magistrates the same permission given to other state judges in a 2007 bill.

That bill allowed District Court and Superior Court judges in North Carolina who have concealed handgun permits to bring guns into a courthouse. 

The N.C. Magistrates Association supports the bill.