The current role of the State Board of Elections as a key enforcer of corruption laws began in April 1998.

The board will convene hearings about the campaign finance dealings of former Gov. Mike Easley next week.

The board was investigating allegations involving disputes between hog farmers and the Republican leadership that controlled the state House at the time.

Famers accused Republicans of using the threat of industry regulations to whip up campaign contributions. The board was also investigating whether an organization for farmers had operated as a political action committee without registering.

The Board cleared then-House Speaker Harold Brubaker of any wrong-doing. The hearing was notable for a successful stand the board took against witnesses who refused to show up.

A poultry magnate, Marvin Johnson told the board to "kiss my..." The board directed state law enforcement agents to arrest anyone who wouldn't cooperate. The witnesses decided to show up. 

Republican state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and Ronnie Ansley, the Democratic nominee for the office, both support a bill that would make it easier for hog farmers to rebuild or reconfigure their hog operations.

The bill strips away a neighbors right to halt changes to structures that are closer than the current law would allow. The current version of the bill, which cleared the Senate on Thursday, even allows hog farmers to build a new building closer than the setbacks under certain circumstances.

Hog farms would need the approval of the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. But the big difference is that adjacent property owners would lose their right to stop the changes.

Opponents say the bill weakens 1995 reforms adopted to protect neighbors from the smelly and dangerous pollutants that arise from hog farms. Supporters say it's a minor change that would allow hog farms to keep up with the rising costs of hog farming.

"On balance, we think it's a good piece of legislation," said Brian Long, a spokesman for Troxler. "We don't have a problem with it."

Ansley, said he generally supports the bill because it would help farmers keep production costs low, which would benefit consumers at the grocery store.

But Ansley says he is concerned that lawmakers are pushing the bill too quickly. Opponents have had little public opportunity to speak against the bill.

"One of the big concerns I have is the rush that was put on it," Ansley said.

The bill, H 822, has cleared the Senate and now heads to the House.

A bill that would soften 1995 protections for neighbors of hog farms passed a senate vote Wednesday.

The bill, among other things, would allow hog farms to get approval to rebuild or change the use of existing structures without getting the permission of neighbors. The bill applies to buildings and structures that were built prior to a 1995 law that required buildings to be a certain distance from homes, schools and churches.

Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat, said the change would not have any adverse effects on the environment, especially since farmers would not be able to increase the size of their operation.

"If I saw anything that I thought was going to be harmful to the environment, I would not be supporting this bill," Albertson said. 

Environmental groups say the bill gives hog farm operations the ability to permanently avoid reforms that went into effect 13 years ago. It shuts neighbors out of possible changes to a hog farm. Simply housing a different group of hogs in a building could have a noticeable effort on emissions and odor, said Joe Rudek, senior scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund.

"The industry would be getting a back door for new farms," Rudek said. "They would be able to change the very nature of the farm by raising new animal types."

The bill must still pass another Senate vote before moving to the House. The bill is HB 822.

The 2007 session ended late last night.

The legislature passed bills on a wide range of topics, some important, some not so much.

A few of the major bills will:

Prohibit new lagoons and sprayfields, set permanent standards for treating hog waste and create a program to help farmers convert to innovative waste systems.

Require state agencies with more than $10 million annual budgets, more than 100 full-time employees or more than $10 million in annual receipts to hire internal auditors.

Guarantee state-funded housing, counseling and other services for victims of a crime in which people, often immigrants, are imprisoned and forced to work for little or no pay.

Change birthday cutoff so fewer 4-year-olds will be eligible to start kindergarten.

Acknowledge the Wilmington Race Riot commission's findings and express "profound regret."

Throughout the morning, we'll list other bills that passed.

U.S. Rep. David Price is talking pork.

But he's talking about it from a slightly different angle.

Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, says the House Appropriations Committee has approved his request for $445,000 in federal funding to support a program being pushed in North Carolina's legislature to convert hog waste lagoons in North Carolina to more environmentally friendly waste systems.

"It's an industry that is critically important to our state," Price said in a statement. "But we need to take advantage of new waste disposal technologies that are more effective and environmentally friendly than waste lagoons."

The House Appropriations Committee approved the bill today, sending to a likely vote on the House floor later this month.

Devon Hall of Warsaw sets up a small replica of a concentrated animal feeding operation Thursday morning.

He and other environmental activists brought the model along with 40 gallons of actual hog waste to the Capitol Ground this week for a 51-hour campout to protest pig-waste pits.

"This actually smells like home and we live with this everday," he said. "Maybe good that people [working] here and legislators can just get a whiff of what does it smell like in Duplin County."

A bill to outlaw new hog lagoons will be discussed in the House soon. (Takaaki Iwabu)

State Sen. Charlie Albertson, a defender of North Carolina's hog industry, has challenged U.S. Sen. John Kerry's descriptions of hog farm pollution in the Neuse River as "irresponsible and misleading."

Albertson, in a recent letter, said Kerry's depiction in his recent book, "This Moment on Earth," of North Carolina water pollution could cause an unnecessary sense of panic in residents and visitors.

Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat, said the events Kerry described with harmful algae blooms in the Neuse River occurred years ago. He said Kerry did not note the state's efforts in recent years.

"It is offensive that none of this progress was reflected in your book," wrote Albertson, who urged Kerry to revise the book. He noted that Kerry said hog farms dump waste into the rivers and waterways, when North Carolina has a zero discharge policy.

Amy Brundage, a Kerry spokeswoman, said Dove had inspired the Kerrys by taking on a challenge in his own backyard. She said Kerry recognizes the steps Albertson and others have taken.

"Progress has been made, but there is still significant work to be done," Brundage said. "In Eastern North Carolina alone, there are 10 million hogs being farmed."