Sen. Jim Jacumin, a three-term Republican from Burke County, won't run for reelection next year.

Jacumin decided not to run again because of concerns over his wife's health, according to a report in the Lenoir News-Topic.

"I've always tried to put God first, family second and country third," Jacumin said in the story. "We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a year ago. Everything I've been able to do, she has been a part of it. I told her, 'We've got to put you first now.'"

Rep. Edgar Starnes, a Hickory Republican in his eighth term, will make a decision about running for the seat before Thanksgiving.

A bill would expand ballot access in North Carolina.

State Sen. Jim Jacumin, a Burke County Republican, said he filed the Electoral Freedom Act after intensive lobbying by a constituent.

The bill would reduce the number of signatures required for a political party or unaffiliated candidate to be recognized by the state.

It is being pushed by North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections, a political action committee formed by UNC-Charlotte political science major Jordon Greene.

The group, which had an annual budget of $81 last year, is nonpartisan.

Its Web site includes links to the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties, which are recognized, as well as the Constitution Party, the Green Party and the Modern Whigs, which are not.

"We want everyone to be able to come to us for information and work together toward the goal of alleviating the problem of ballot access," Greene said.

Recent bills filed in the Senate of note:

S.B. 235: Personal Protection in Restaurants, Sen. Andrew Brock

S.B. 236: Notarized Consent for Minor's Abortion, Sen. Brock

S.B. 237: Voting Materials in English, Sen. Brock

S.B. 259: Interscholastic Sports Open to All Students, Sen. Jim Jacumin

S.B. 262: Expunctions/Purge Online Databases, Sen. Phil Berger

How bipartisan has Sen. Kay Hagan been?

From 1999 to 2008, the Greensboro Democrat was the primary sponsor of 143 bills. Of them, 63 had no cosponsors, 36 had only Democratic cosponsors and 44 had Republican cosponsors.

Overall, her 366 cosponsors included 286 Democrats and 80 Republicans, for about a four-to-one ratio. She became more bipartisan during her time in the legislature, however, going from about a nine-to-one ratio of D-to-R cosponsors in the 1999-2000 session to about two-to-one in the current session.

The most frequent GOP cosponsors were Sen. Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County, who signed on to 14 bills; Sen. Stan Bingham of neighboring Davidson County, who signed on to 13; and Sen. Robert Shaw of Greensboro, who signed on to 10.

Sens. Hamilton Horton of Forsyth County and Richard Stevens of Wake County each cosponsored five bills; Sens. Virginia Foxx of Watauga County and John Garwood of Wilkes County, four; and Peter Brunstetter of Forsyth County and Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger of Rockingham County, three.

Sens. James Forrester, Jim Jacumin, Jerry Tillman, Austin Allran and Harry Brown cosponsored two apiece, while Sens. Don East, Andrew Brock, Eddie Goodall, Harris Blake, Kenneth Moore, Fred Smith and Tom Apodaca each cosponsored one.

Previously: Hagan's Republican cosponsors in 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06 and 2007-08 sessions.

How bipartisan has Kay Hagan been?

At a debate in Atlantic Beach today, the Democratic Senate nominee said that she had worked with Republicans in her time in the state legislature.

"I've gotten results here in North Carolina by working across party lines, by ending the partisan bickering," she said.

Afterward, Greensboro News & Record reporter Mark Binker asked Hagan about the Senate Democratic leadership's recent decision to cut off debate on the state budget before Republicans could offer their comments.

"The budget was an opportunity that people had a lot of time to make changes, to make recommendations in subcommittees, and I just don't think there was a lot of participation at the time when a lot of changes could take place," she said.

Hagan said she has worked closely with Republican Sen. Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County on judicial issues and layoffs in Kannapolis and Sen. Jim Jacumin of Burke County on "furniture-related issues."

She said she also had a good relationship with Republican Sen. Stan Bingham of Davidson County. 

The State Employees Assocation of N.C. announced its endorsements in legislative primary races.

The group, which represents 55,000 state workers, endorsed 13 candidates for the state House and 12 candidates for state Senate through its political action committee.

Seven of the candidates are Republicans: Rep. Jeff Barnhart; House candidates George Shaeffer, Sidney Sandy, Nalin Mehta and Shirley Randleman; and Sens. Fletcher Hartsell and Jim Jacumin.

In two cases, it endorsed candidates running against each other: state Sen. Vern Malone and rival Ann Akland; and Senate candidates Jack Nichols and Josh Stein.

In the House, the PAC also endorsed Reps. Angela Bryant, Edith Warren and Drew Saunders and candidates Robert Richardson, Greg Taylor, Charles Graham, Betty Mangum and Ric Marshall.

In the Senate, it endorsed Sens. Floyd McKissick, Ellie Kinnaird, Katie Dorsett and Steve Goss and candidates Shelly Willingham and Chuck Stone.

"We're happy to be able to support candidates who care about quality public services and the employees who work so hard to make this state one of the best places to live," said PAC chairwoman Paula Schubert in a statement.

Fred Smith has also given donations through his campaign.

The Friends of Fred Smith committee, formed for his first Senate run in 2002 and closed in 2007, gave $100,400 in donations to other Republican candidates.

The biggest beneficiaries were the N.C. Senate Republican Committee, which received a total of $41,800 in 2004, and the Johnston County Republican Party, which received a total of $7,000 that year.

Smith's committee also gave $4,000 apiece in 2004 to several Republican Senate candidates, both successful—Jim Jacumin, Harris Blake and Neal Hunt—and unsuccessful—Margaret Carpenter, Harold Frazier, Harry Brown, Chuck Tyson, Tony Moore, James Testa, and Jack Swann.

Also that year, he gave $2,000 to Senate candidates Beverly Moore and Dennis Nielsen and state Auditor Les Merritt; $1,000 to John Odoom and Ron Toppin; $1,000 apiece to Rep. David Lewis, a Johnston County commissioner candidate and a judicial candidate; $500 to a school board candidate; and $100 to the N.C. New Majority Republican Council.

Rep. Thomas Wright was on paid leave.

The Wilmington Democrat was one of 15 state lawmakers who were paid for the two-day special session even though they didn't show up for at least one day, according to a story in the Wilmington Star-News.

As per his usual routine, Wright did not return calls to a reporter.

According to the Wilmington Star-News, checks were sent to Wright and Reps. Becky Carney, Jerry Dockham, Phil Haire, Hugh Holliman, George Holmes, Edgar Starnes, Russell Tucker and R. Tracy Walker and Sens. Katie Dorsett, Eddie Goodall, Malcolm Graham, Jim Jacumin and Clark Jenkins.

Reps. Jeff Barnhart and Ric Killian were absent and asked not to be paid. Rep. Karen Ray missed the second day and asked not to be paid for it.

Two lawmakers — Reps. Ty Harrell and Grier Martin — were present, but asked not to be paid anyway.

Correction: The absences are based on final roll-call votes on the second day of the session. Sens. Jacumin, Dorsett and Goodall were in session on Sept. 10, according to votes taken that day. No roll calls were taken in the House on Sept. 10.