The legislature is moving at a slow pace.

With the session in its fourth week, not much has happened. A lot of bills have been filed, but the committees that do most of the real work are meeting for the first time this week.

Daily House and Senate sessions typically last about 20 minutes with no substantive debate.

Sen. David Hoyle, a Dallas Democrat, sponsored a bill that would send House and Senate members home while housekeeping matters such as committee assignments are worked out. The Senate passed the bill.

"It's not 170 of us sitting around looking at each other," he said.

But freshman legislators and Speaker Joe Hackney were among those defending the pace. The new members said it was giving them a chance to get to know the place, while Hackney said it would be worse to rush. (N&O) 

The Senate passed a de facto limit on legislative sessions Thursday, voting 37 to 11 to limit the number of days lawmakers will receive their daily expense reimbursement for food and lodging.

The idea is that if legislators don't receive their $104 a day for expenses, they won't want to stay in session. They would be limited to 135 days in odd-numbered or "long" session years and 60 days in even-numbered years. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Tony Rand, said he is taking this approach after several attempts to put a limit on the number of days for a session, which the Senate passed in previous years but the House rejected.

"If we do not get some control over the length of time we spend here," said Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and Senate majority leader, "we do damage to the institution of the legislature."

Opponents said the bill suggested lawmakers were in office only for money, despite the $13,951 salary, and didn't allow for extraordinary circumstances when legislators need to keep working past a certain date.

"There should be a return on the investment of time," said Sen. Malcolm Graham, a Charlotte Democrat.

Senators overwhelmingly approved a companion bill to convene an organizing session in January but not return to Raleigh for three weeks when committees are named and debate on bills can begin.

A Senate leader wants to make sure the part-time legislature doesn't stay full time.

Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, filed a bill last week that would cut off legislators' daily stipend and travel allowances past a certain number of days: 60 days in short sessions held in even-numbered years, or 135 in an odd-numbered years such as this one.

Legislators get $104 per day in so-called per diems, so their annual stipend would be limited to either $6,240 to $14,040.

(During session, per diems include Saturdays and Sundays, even if the legislature does not meet on those days.)

Reps. Grier Martin and Darren Jackson, both Wake County Democrats, currently do not accept per diem. Rep. Ty Harrell did not accept it in previous sessions.

In addition, legislators receive a reimbursement of 29 cents per mile for one round trip a week from home to the state capital. Rep. Roger West of Marble travels the farthest — 720 miles, or $208, round trip.

The bill has a good chance in the Senate. It already has 35 co-sponsors — a supermajority in the 50-member Senate — including both Republicans and Democrats.

No similar bill has yet been filed in the House.

Related: Conservative blogger calls bill "a pretty good first step."

Several more bills were filed in the state Senate today:

S.B. 15: Session Limits, Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand

S.B. 16: DPI / Curriculum on 1898 Wilmington Race Riots, Sen. Julia Boseman

S.B. 17: Pay Teachers the ABC Bonuses They Earned, Sen. Steve Goss

S.B. 18: Amend Cemetery Act, Goss

S.B. 19: Use of Additional Technology Prohibited, Goss

S.B. 20: Voter-Owned Election for Treasurer, Sen. Doug Berger