A fuss over bill titles is festering in the House.

In recent weeks House Democrats have changed the title of three high-profile bills to long, precise descriptions of what the bills would do.

The title change made it nearly impossible for House Republicans to make any substantive changes to the budget or to a bill outlawing school bullying. A proposal to change the state's annexation laws now also features a lengthy title.

The title matters because House rules say amendments from the floor must be "germane." The more detail included in the title, the less a House member can do with an amendment.

House Republicans say the practice violates the spirit of openness promised by House Speaker Joe Hackney. 

"The Speaker has done a good job being fair, but recently the process has become heavy handed," said Rep. Johnathan Rhyne, a Lincolnton Republican. 

The place to change the substance of a bill is in committee, said Rep. Bill Owens, an Elizabeth City Democrat and the House rules chairman. Any bill can be sent back to committee with a simple majority vote.  

"Time for debate on the floor needs to be the principle reason for the bill, not amending the titles to put in things that there's not majority support for," Owens said. 

More after the jump.

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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."

Legislative Republican leaders are preparing for big fights this week over two battleground bills.

The Healthy Youth Act, which allows parents to choose between "abstinence only" and "comprehensive" sex ed programs, is scheduled for a hearing in a Senate committee. The bill previously cleared the House. 

The School Violence Prevention Act, which seeks to stop bullying in schools is set to be heard in House committees. Republicans object to the bill because it defines classes of victims and includes actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

"These bills are part of the radical left's social agenda and show how legislative Democrats have abandoned traditional North Carolina values," Sen. Phil Berger, the Senate minority leader, said.

House minority leader Rep. Paul Stam said Republicans will try to amend the bullying bill so that it states flatly that all bullying is wrong without classes of victims.

Could a bill banning bullying against gays and lesbians lead to same-sex marriage?

Yes, according to two N.C. Roman Catholic bishops who have urged their followers in two mass emails this past week to oppose Senate Bill 526, otherwise known as the School Violence Protection Act, Yonat Shimron reports.

While the two bishops say they oppose bullying period, they cannot support a bill that singles out "gender identity and sexual orientation."

Msgr. Michael Clay, the legislative lobbyist for the Diocese of Raleigh, said three states — Iowa, California and Connecticut — have used similar anti-gay bullying laws as part of their "findings of fact," in building a case for same-sex marriage.

"It could be a precursor of actions by our legislature and/or our courts to mandate same-sex marriage," said Clay. "It's more than speculative. This is a result that happens."

Clay said both Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh and Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte believe bullying is wrong and would gladly support a bill without the offending language.

"We're urging people to support the bill and take out the differentiating language," he said.

Other groups, including the Christian Action League and the N.C. Family Policy Council, also oppose the bill, saying it would introduce special legal protections for gays and lesbians.

Update: But not all religious groups agreed with what they said was an exaggerated emphasis on same-sex marriage.

"This is not a theoretical political issue," said the Rev. Jack McKinney, co-pastor of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. "This is about real kids suffering real pain and too many of them hurting themselves. For it to be used as a political football is a tragedy."