State Reps. Paul Stam and Nelson Dollar want to know why the state is in such a hurry to release 20 inmates who have served 30 or so years of a "life" sentence.

Stam, an Apex Republican and House minority leader, and Dollar, a Cary Republican, sent a letter to Attorney General Roy Cooper and N.C. Correction Secretary Al Keller urging the officials to slow down on releasing the inmates.

One of the inmates, Bobby Bowden, successfully argued to the N.C. Court of Appeals that he has served his time. When he was convicted of a double murder in Fayetteville, the state defined a life sentence as 80 years and the court found that Bowden had earned enough credit to be released.

The Correction department has calculated that Bowden is one of 20 inmates that must be released this month. Stam and Dollar said that no court is ordering the release.

We are concerned with the haste with which the potential release of these felons is being considered. Only inmate Bowden has filed a motion. His case has been remanded for a hearing to determine sentence reduction credits that he is eligible to receive and how those credits are to be applied. It is premature to consider releasing other prisoners.

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The State Employees Association of N.C. has selected Rep. Nelson Dollar as its legislator of the year.

Dollar, a Cary Republican, received the award for his work on legislation affecting the State Health Plan and potential furloughs for state employees. The award was presented last week at the employee association's convention and was meant to show appreciation to Dollar for his work on behalf of the state's working families, said a spokeswoman for SEANC, which has 55,000 members. 

The award is presented by the association's political action committee and is named for Lisa B. Mitchell, a SEANC member who was active in building the organization's political action committee. Mitchell died last year after a battle with cancer.

State legislative leaders recently passed on putting an end to the practice of paying UNC administrators all or part of their administrative salaries as they transitioned back into the faculty.

A provision in the House's version of the budget would have largely prevented anyone in state government from holding on to a higher salary as they moved into a lesser position. The Senate's budget did not have the provision, and when both sides negotiated a final budget that passed last week, the provision was replaced with a study of the practice, Dan Kane reports.

"It was agreed upon by all of us that we would not go forward, and the study would be a good thing," said Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat.

House Minority Leader Paul Stam, an Apex Republican, and Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Cary Republican, chastised budget writers on Monday for dropping the provision. Both cited The News & Observer report on Sunday showing that these transitional payments had cost the state more than $8 million over the past five years.

More after the jump.

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House and Senate budget negotiators reached a final, no more changes, budget deal just before 6 p.m. Monday.

The budget has not been put into a bill form yet, but the plan is to have the document done before midnight so it can be read into the record, a necessary step before any votes could be taken.

The education budget would keep K-3 class size intact. For grades 4 through 12, local school boards would have to cut spending. The order from the state budget would be for officials to try to preserve the classroom as much as possible.

The budget would spend approximately $18.7 billion including about $990 million in new taxes.

Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat and senior budget writer said that state residents will see budget cuts across all categories of state spending. Public education would be cut 4.8 percent or $1.8 billion from last year and higher education would see a 6.2 percent cut or $1.9 billion.

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For state Rep. Nelson Dollar, the construction vehicles parked in front of statues and monuments on the Capitol's lawn had ruined enough field trips.

So Dollar got his fellow lawmakers to do something about it.

The Cary Republican sponsored a bill that would let state maintenance vehicles park on the streets around the Capitol for free as long as they stayed off the building's lawn. On Thursday, the bill got final approval from the Senate.

"I just wanted it so school children and other visitors to the Capitol could see the vistas," Capitol said.

In the past, trucks were ticketed for parking too long in metered and free spots. The bill is a compromise between the Department of Administration, which own the trucks, and the city of Raleigh, which is planning on installing more parking meters along the streets.

"It was just to make sure that, no matter what, these people would still be able to work and park," Dollar said.

The House approved by a one-vote margin a bill that would ban bullying against school children for actual or perceived differences including sexual orientation.

The bill passed 58 to 57, and Democrats then voted for a parliamentary maneuver ensuring that none of those voting in favor can change their minds. The result: the bill will be sent to Gov. Beverly Perdue for her signature.

The bill has been bitterly fought. Opponents, particularly Republicans, have said the bill should not name special categories of victims and have said the bill should simply ban all bullying. Supporters, mostly Democrats, have said the bill focuses attention on children who are the most likely targets in schools across the state.

"Don't sit on this floor and talk about how the general policy works to protect children," said Rep. Rick Glazier, a Fayetteville Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill. "None of us should be able to look in the mirror with that fable and say that it's true."

On Tuesday, Republicans tried to amend the bill to include punishments for bullies and for teachers and principals who allow it to happen.

"What we need to identify is not categories," said Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Cary Repubilcan. "We need to identify the bullies and address what they're doing, what they're getting away with."

A bill filed this session would establish an independent commission to draw the state's district lines.

The goal would be to avoid the contentious and litigious debate that typically accompanies the required changes to the state's legislative districts, said Sen. Pete Brunstetter, a Lewisville Republican and senate sponsor of the bill. House and Senate Republicans said they believe the bill and others similar to it would curb gerrymandering.

"The big problem is it allows legislators to chose their voters and not vice versa," Brunstetter said.

The state constitution currently calls for the legislature to change districts after the federal decennial census. The idea is to have legislative districts reflect changes in population.

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Some recent House bills of note:

H.B. 593: Change School Starting Date, Reps. Paul Luebke, Martha Alexander, Bob England and Ray Rapp

H.B. 611: Check-Off Donation: Breast Cancer Screening, Reps. Nelson Dollar, Carolyn Justice, Lucy Allen and England

H.B. 614: Absentee Voting Improvements, Reps. Grier Martin, Rick Glazier, Marian McLawhorn and Rapp

H.B. 626: Restraining of Dogs, Reps. Douglas Yongue, Susan Fisher, Danny McComas and Justin Burr

H.B. 630: Capitalize National Guard in Statutes, Reps. Martin, Cullie Tarleton and Ric Killian

H.B. 644: Misdemeanor/Not Produce Public Records, Reps. George Cleveland and Burr

State legislators say they may change the rules on annexation.

After years of controversy over involuntary annexation, lawmakers say they want to give property owners more rights.

"You're talking about doing something to someone's home, which is probably the second most near and dear thing to them beside their family," said Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Cary Republican.

Still, proponents of the practice say that it helps cities such as Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh remain strong, since prosperous suburbs remain part of the central tax base.

The legislature is looking at three possibilities: 1) A moratorium on annexation in specific counties; 2) a referendum to allow people who might be annexed to vote on it; and 3) revising annexation laws to give property owners more time and tools to fight annexation. (N&O)

Some interesting bills filed in the House recently:

H.B. 120: Public Municipal Campaigns, Reps. Rick Glazier, Melanie Wade Goodwin, Pricey Harrison and Winkie Wilkins

H.B. 123: Death Penalty / Proportionality Review, Reps. Glazier, Dan Blue, Deborah Ross and Earline Parmon

H.B. 125: Raise the Cap on Charter Schools, Reps. Jim Gulley, Marilyn Avila and Ric Killian

H.B. 126: Eliminate the Cap on Charter Schools, Reps. Gulley, Avila, Killian and Nelson Dollar

H.B. 128: Authorize Grandfather Mountain as State Park, Reps. Phil Frye, Edgar Starnes and Cullie Tarleton