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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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.

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