Both chambers of the legislature are considering resolutions honor the late lobbyist and former House member Roger Bone.

Bone was considered one of the most influential lobbyists in the legislature.

— "Roger made it to the top...by being a very personal, common man," said Sen. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat.

— "Roger was never more than the boy from Sandy Cross," said Sen. A.B. Swindell, a Nashville Democrat.

— "We're grateful to him for just making this a place where we can enjoy each other's company ... as we talk about the ways to make North Carolina better," said Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and senate majority leader. 

Bone served in the 1979 session of the House, later worked as a legislative liaison to Speaker Liston Ramsey, and founded his own lobbying firm in 1987.

The House will consider its resolution when it goes into session at 1 p.m.

Update: The House took up the Senate version of the resolution.

— "He is what some would call a permanent fixture of the legislative building as he has been around as long as anyone can remember," said Rep. William Wainwright, a Havelock Democrat. "North Carolina is a better place because Roger Bone passed our way."

— "He possessed a unique passion for sound public policy," said Rep. Randy Stewart, a Rocky Mount Democrat.

"I can recally many conversations with Roger down in the snackbar of this buildign as he explaiend to me ...the dynamics that really move this assembly," said Rep. David Lewis, a Dunn Republican.

VACATION LOCATION: Less than a month into her term as governor, Gov. Beverly Perdue went on a weeklong vacation with her husband at an "undisclosed location" out of state. It's not all fun though. Instead of, say, a John Grisham page-turner, she's apparently reading state budget books on the beach. A Time to .. Cut Spending?

FILING FILL: The bills keep coming. Legislation introduced at the General Assembly this week would outlaw a hallucinogenic herb, make high schoolers take art, let the governor appoint the schools superintendent, deny bail to illegal immigrants, and end a subsidy for out-of-state athletes. More than 335 bills have been filed so far.

THROWING LONG: U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat from Waynesville, did some pretty public trash talking about the stimulus bill, criticizing Democratic leaders for not getting more GOP buy-in. They hit back with criticism of his record on the Washington Redskins. But Shuler, who is mulling a run for Senate in 2010, may be thinking of other opponents.

IN OTHER NEWS: A Fayetteville Observer reporter joins the growing ranks of blogger-reporters. No bathrobes spotted in the press room at the legislature, yet. ... President Obama chatted about the Duke-Carolina game at a White House roundtable, but he studiously avoided taking sides. There's your bipartisanship. ... The legislature is considering a resolution to honor former lobbyist Roger Bone. It's one bill he wouldn't have had to lobby on.

Roger Bone may get one last bill through the legislature.

The former lawmaker and longtime lobbyist, who died on Jan. 25 of cancer, had his hand in a number of bills over the years.

Now, the legislature is set to recognize his achievements with a joint resolution.

The resolution "honors the life and memory of Roger Bone and expresses the appreciation of this State and its citizens for the service he rendered," it reads.

Bone served in the 1979 session of the House, later worked as a legislative liaison to Speaker Liston Ramsey, and founded his own lobbying firm in 1987.

The bill is sponsored by House Democratic Leader Hugh Holliman and longtime Reps. William Wainwright, Harold Brubaker and Dan Blue.

Tobacco companies are gearing up to fight a smoking ban.

The state's three major tobacco companies — Philip Morris, Lorillard and Reynolds American — plan to fight a proposal by Rep. Hugh Holliman to ban smoking in restaurants and other public places.

Michael Shannon, a staff lobbyist for Lorillard, said they think that decision should be left to the marketplace, which is already moving voluntarily toward more smoke-free establishments.

"We think there should be some accommodation for those owners of restaurants, bars or night clubs who know their customers and want to provide a smoking alternative," he told Dome.

He also argued that a provision in the bill that would allow local government to set stricter rules on smoking would put a strain on owners of multiple establishments and create havoc for customers.

"You could have a bar on one side of the street have one set of rules, and a bar on the other side have another set of rules," he said.

Lorillard has also retained Frederick Bone, son of former tobacco lobbyist Roger Bone. Reynolds American has retained lobbyist Eugene Ainsworth. A spokesman for Philip Morris said they will also hire a lobbyist, but none was registered yet with the Secretary of State.

The Legislative Building was buzzing Wednesday morning as lawmakers geared up for the opening gavels of the 2009 session.

The building was busy, but not packed as in previous years, perhaps because many lobbyists planned to attend the funeral for Roger Bone, Ben Niolet reports.

The agenda for Wednesday's session was relatively light, with planned elections for the leadership. House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate leader Marc Basnight are expected to keep their jobs for another session.

The buzz around the building Wednesday was upbeat, with many legislators walking in with family and friends who appeared for the swearing in. Still, the state budget crisis was looming over the session.

Lawmakers will need to fill a gap in next years budget as big as $2 billion. Few, if any lawmakers said they were willing to raise taxes.

"I would assuem every organization's administrative budget probably has 15 percent of waste," said Rep. Rep. Thom Tillis, a Mecklenburg County Republican.

"Hopefully we won't have to do that (raise taxes)t," said Rep. Alma Adams, a Guilford County Democrat.

Both chambers are scheduled to open at noon.

* Charlotte Observer columnist Jack Betts says lobbyist Roger Bone was "an honest man who told legislators the truth."

* Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Jordan Schrader spots Mike Easley at U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler's fundraiser.

* WUNC radio reporter Laura Leslie sees a lot of pink for Coach Kay Yow at the legislative building.

* Progressive commentator Molly Diggins wonders if North Carolina will push for tougher fuel efficiency standards.

* Democratic consultant Gary Pearce argues legislators will be cautious so they can control 2010 redistricting.

Roger Bone, a former legislator and one of the state's top lobbyists, has died.

He passed away this morning, according to a fellow lobbyist. Further details are not yet available.

Bone was ranked the No. 1 lobbyist in North Carolina last year by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research based on a survey of journalists, politicians and lobbyists. In seven previous surveys, he was either second or third.

In June, he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor the governor can bestow on a North Carolina citizen.

His clients included Eli Lilly, Lorillard and the N.C. Association of Long Term Care Facilities.

A new ranking says Raleigh has a new top lobbyist. It also says that some lobbyists' influence has been shaped by ethics investigations and a fight over a real estate transfer tax.

The N.C. Center for Public Policy Research released its biannual ranking Thursday of the most influential lobbyists in the state capital. The ranking is based on a survey of legislators, lobbyists and capital journalists following the 2007 long session of the General Assembly.

Roger Bone ranked No. 1, after seven previous surveys had ranked him No. 2 or 3. His wide variety of clients includes Lorillard Tobacco Co., the N.C. Association of Long Term Care Facilities and the Save our Summers group.

Rounding out the top five: John McMillan, John Bode, Franklin Freeman and Zeb Alley.

Previous No. 1 Don Beason fell to No. 35, following revelations about a series of $500,000 transactions between him and former House Speaker Jim Black. Beason later resigned his clients. Black, a Democrat, is in prison on unrelated corruption convictions.

Bob Hall, who filed the original complaint against Black with the State Board of Elections, saw his ranking jump from 49th to 19th for his work with Democracy North Carolina.

Also seeing their rankings rise: Tim Kent (11th), Rick Zechini (12th), Paul Meyer (25th) and Jim Blackburn (31st). All were involved in the fight over a tax on real estate transfers.

Only one out of eight state lobbyists reported any expenses in 2007.

According to a compilation of lobbyist expense forms, only 78 lobbyists reported spending any money on transportation, entertainment, dining, meetings or gifts last year. Another 526 lobbyists reported zero expenses during the same time.

Under lobbying laws effective Jan. 1, 2007, lobbyists must file reports with the N.C. Secretary of State on a quarterly basis noting the "fair market value" of any money spent on behalf of a client.

However, few lobbyists write much on the forms, which are filed separately for each client. Of the 93 expense forms with anything listed, 33 were for $100 or less. Only 15 forms listed more than $500 in expenses.

In all, the lobbyists reported spending $46,091, with roughly 60 percent of the money going toward transportation and lodging. Another $13,353 was reported as spent on food and beverages.

The single largest expense was $9,206 by lobbyist Gordon Myers for The Facility Group. He reported spending the money on travel and a conference.

Lobbyist Peter Gilmore reported spending $7,500 on behalf of the Dole Food Co. to sponsor a Farm Day.

And lobbyist Roger Bone reported spending $500 a piece for nine clients on the N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association's annual "Rush the Growler" party for legislators, Council of State members and their staffs.