A few notable House bills filed:

H.B. 132: Jury Duty Tax Deduction, Rep. Timothy Spear

H.B. 133: Prudent Management of Institutional Funds, Rep. Deborah Ross

H.B. 134: Assault State or Local Officer or Employee, Rep. Russell Tucker

H.B. 135: Broadband Service Providers, Reps. Bill Faison, Joe Tolson, Phil Haire and Thom Tillis

H.B. 137: Capital Procedure / Severe Mental Disability, Reps. Verla Insko, Pricey Harrison, Larry Womble and Paul Luebke

H.B. 149: Require Arts Educ. Credit for Graduation, Reps. Becky Carney, Rick Glazier, Alma Adams and Linda Johnson

H.B. 154: Appoint State Superintendent, Rep. Leo Daughtry

H.B. 155: Appoint State School Superintendent, Reps. Haire, Harold Brubaker, Johnson and Marvin Lucas

Ten state legislators drive more than 500 miles to work.

After Dome learned that Rep. Roger West's 720-mile round trip from Marble to Raleigh is the longest commute, we wondered about the other legislators with long drives:

Sen. John Snow, Murphy, 706 miles
Sen. Joe Sam Queen, Waynesville, 552 miles
Sen. Tom Apodaca, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Sen. Martin Nesbitt, Asheville, 520 miles
Rep. David Guice, Brevard, 582 miles
Rep. Susan Fisher, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Bruce Goforth, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Carolyn Justus, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Rep. Phil Haire, Sylva, 590 miles

Not surprisingly, all 10 represent the mountains. 

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.

A dozen legislators were absent from yesterday's special session.

On the House side, nine representatives had excused absences, according to a roll call of the vote on the session's rules. They include House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, who is recuperating from surgery, and Rep. Thomas Wright, who is recuperating from self-inflicted political damage.

Others are Reps. Jeff Barnhart, Becky Carney, Jerry Dockham, Phil Haire, Ric Killian, Edgar Starnes and Russell Tucker. All had voted for the second reading and conference report on the original bill, except Tucker, who had an excused absence on the latter.

On the Senate side, three members had excused absences, according to a roll call of a vote on a measure commemorating Appalachian State's win over Michigan.

They are Sens. Malcolm Graham, Clark Jenkins and Don East. Graham and Jenkins voted for the second reading; East against.

Correction: An earlier version of this post named the wrong senators.

The House changed its mind on a speeding bill.

After defeating a bill aimed at tightening loopholes that let chronic speeders off the hook Wednesday, the House voted to reconsider this evening, and the bill passed.

Rep. Phil Haire, a Sylva Democrat, said the problem was that some judges and prosecutors were failing to enforce the laws that had already been passed. He said reporters should go after individual court officials, not the legislature.

"This is a case of The News & Observer vs. the General Assembly," he said.

Rep. John Blust, a Greensboro Republican, said that if anything the bill should be tougher. He said news stories showed that a lot of people with serious speeding violations are not being punished.

"Right now in this state, we have a whole lot of people who are speeding, not just a little, but they're speeding a lot," he said. "They're walking out with nothing happening to them."

The bill passed 63-48 and heads back to the Senate for concurrence.

Update: The Senate failed to concur, and the differences will be worked out in a conference committee. 

North Carolina high school students would be taught the state's "safe surrender" law, which allows mothers to turn their newborn babies over to a responsible adult and not face prosecution, if legislation that cleared the state House today becomes law.

"This is a bill about life," said Rep. Phil Haire, a Jackson County Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors. "It's about educating our young people who end up in circumstances where they have a child that's unwanted. They don't have to leave it on a door step. They don't have to leave it in a McDonald's bathroom."

No one voiced opposition to the bill, which passed by a 113-4 vote. There had been some concerns voiced in the House Education Committee on Tuesday that informing teens about the law might encourage them to have sex, Dan Kane reports.

Haire cited statistics showing that the average age of women who are known to have abandoned babies is just over 19 years old. He also cited recent abandonments in Rocky Mount and Warsaw in which the babies died as evidence that the word needs to get out about the six-year-old law.

House budget writers announced that they have boosted Medicaid relief to counties by $40 million.

That brings the total one-time payments that House leaders would give to $100 million, Dan Kane reports.

"I know when you vote for this budget everybody will be able to go home and tell your county commissioners and your taxpayers that we helped with their Medicaid burden this year," said Rep. Phil Haire, a chief budget writer.

The Jackson County Democrat said all the counties would share $50 million for Medicaid relief. Counties with Medicaid recipient populations of 20 to 25 percent would share an additional $10 million, while the rest would be split among counties that have even higher percentages of residents on Medicaid.

A county commissioners association had criticized the smaller amount.

It's unclear whether the Senate will go along with the House measure. Senate leaders say they want to do more than a temporary fix to the issue.

North Carolina is the only state to require counties to pay a fixed share of Medicaid costs.

George Clooney may be a Hollywood liberal, but in North Carolina his name is budget magic.

Rep. Phil Haire, a Jackson County Democrat, convinced the House Appropriations Committee today to shift $50,000 in movie recruitment money to western North Carolina after pointing out that Clooney is shooting a movie at locations between Charlotte and Greensboro, Dan Kane reports.

"Leatherheads," a romantic comedy involving an aging football hero, is slated for release later this year.

Haire proposed taking the $50,000 from a $100,000 allocation to recruit movie productions to Eastern North Carolina. That had Rep. Edith Warren, a Farmville Democrat, up in arms. She said that money is needed to grow film making in her region.

Haire, a chief budget writer, chided Warren.

"I may not be able to get you George Clooney's autograph if you oppose my amendment, Edith," Haire said.

The amendment passed 48-16.

The House approved the final reading of an official acknowledgement for the 1898 Wilmington race riots this afternoon in a 65-51 vote. Here's a summary of the arguments (not direct quotes):

Rep. Thomas Wright: This was recommended by the Wilmington Race Riot Commission as a first step. Rep. Bonner Stiller: Yeah, a first step toward reparations. No thanks. Rep. Phil Haire: Or a lawsuit... Rep. Dan Blue: Not gonna happen. We're about a century past the statute of limitations. Rep. Haire: Well, what about this bill? Rep. Blue: It's just an idea. It'll never pass. Rep. Louis Pate Jr.: I asked about commemorating the birth of Robert E. Lee and you guys told me not to. Who decides which history to acknowledge? Rep. Mickey Michaux: Usually the victors. Let's acknowledge the victims for once. Rep. John Blust: We ought to acknowledge some of the better parts of history, too. Less hand-wringing, more optimism.

Rep. Drew Saunders wished everyone a happy May Day with a little history lesson.

As the House session drew to a close, the Huntersville Democrat shared some of the various meanings ascribed to May 1 over the years.

It's been, he noted, "a celebration of spring, a day of political protest, neo-pagan festivals, a saint's feast day, a day for organized labor and national holidays in many countries." (Based on the wording, his source is probably this Web site.)

Saunders also relayed an anecdote about an aircraft carrier which supposedly called for help on May 1, 1927, inspiring the phrase "mayday."

(That appears to be an urban wiki-legend. The American Heritage College Dictionary says it comes from the French, venez m'aider, meaning "come help me.")

He ended by wishing Rep. Phil Haire, a May Day baby, a happy birthday.