Four state Democrats want the legislature to honor John McCain.

But not that John McCain.

State Reps. Jean Farmer-Butterfield of Wilson, Joe Tolson of Pinetops, Marvin Lucas of Spring Lake and Martha Alexander of Charlotte filed a bill to honor Dr. John L. McCain, a Wilson County physician who died in 2005.

Dr. McCain has at least one thing in common with his namesake. Like the Republican presidential candidate, he served in the Navy, although it was during World War II, not the Vietnam War. 

Unlike the other McCain, he was once appointed to a national advisory board by President Jimmy Carter. 

Twenty-four legislators did not get paid for every day.

According to state records, 17 representatives and seven senators asked not to receive their $104 per diems for at least one day during the 2007 session.

Reps. Angela Bryant, William Current, Annie Mobley, Deborah Ross, John Blust, Bill Daughtridge, Laura Wiley, Ruth Samuelson, Pryor Gibson, David Lewis, Mitchell Setzer, Paul Stam, Jennifer Weiss, Martha Alexander, Pricey Harrison, Alice Bordsen and Paul Luebke did not receive pay for every day.

Luebke was the lowest, receiving pay for just 178 days.

Sens. William Purcell, Fred Smith, Clark Jenkins, Harris Blake, Tom Apodaca, Janet Cowell and Marc Basnight did not receive pay for all 191 days of session.

Basnight was the lowest, receiving pay for just 176 days.

Under state policy, legislators automatically receive pay for every day of session, regardless of whether they attend, unless they specifically ask not to be paid for that day. 

A bill would allow judges to sentence convicted drunk drivers to wear alcohol monitors.

The monitors, which sense alcohol through the skin, are worn as ankle bracelets. They could be worn as a condition of probation, an alternative to jail or as a way for convicts to get their licenses restored sooner.

Rep. Ronnie Sutton, a Pembroke Democrat, said he was concerned that the bill would create inequalities, since not every offender can afford to pay for the monitors.

"You're going to create two classes of citizens: Those that can afford $12 a day and those that can't," he said. (Later, he restated his objection humorously: "I was passed a note that said that Paris Hilton is in favor of this bill.")

Rep. Martha Alexander, a Charlotte Democrat, said she thinks many local governments will pay for the bracelets as an alternative to jailing drunk drivers.

The bill passed the House 107-9. It now heads back to the Senate.