A bill would allow mayors to officiate at weddings.

Senate Bill 992 was sponsored by freshman Democratic Sen. Don Davis, the former mayor of Snow Hill, N.C.

The Senate had little debate on the issue, though Sen. Jim Forrester said that he had hoped to add an amendment that would have put a constitutional ban on gay marriage up for a statewide referendum.

Forrester filed a separate bill on the gay-marriage ban that Senate leadership essentially killed by leaving it in committee.

"If we don't get it in the constitution, I'm afraid it's going to happen to us just like Vermont," he said.

The bill passed 35-9 and now heads to the House.

Several other bills this session have also sought to expand who can perform weddings. One already signed into law by Gov. Beverly Perdue, allows Superior Court judges to officiate.

Another bill stuck in a House committee would have allowed any judge, while a third would allow retired judges. A Senate bill to allow any judge passed and is now before a House committee.

What has the Senate passed by crossover?

Here are some of the more interesting bills that made it past the upper chamber before the deadline to be considered by the House:

S.B. 138: Ban hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum

S.B. 1062: Allow judges to include custody of pets in a domestic protective order

S.B. 1018: Prohibit stores on the Outer Banks from using plastic bags

S.B. 11: Allow district attorneys and assistant D.A.'s to carry concealed weapons in courthouses

S.B. 307: Regulate venomous or constricting pet snakes

S.B. 167: Ban cell phones and tobacco in state prisons

More after the jump.

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State judges are a step closer to having the right to officiate weddings.

The state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Monday night that would grant judges the authority, Dan Kane reports.

Each session lawmakers routinely pass bills granting a certain judge the right to perform a wedding on a particular weekend. Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand said that's a waste of time.

"We've had two such bills this session," said Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat. "We've had at least 10 in the last eight or nine years to do this and these individual bills just clog up the administration of what we are about and take up our time. This would allow judges to marry people if they want to."

The bill passed by a 39-5 vote. It now goes to the House.

Sen. Tony Rand has made good on his threat.

The Democratic majority leader filed this bill today:

S.B. 59: Any Judge/Justice May Perform Marriage

Rand had said that he would file that bill if state judges kept asking for exceptions to the law that only allows ordained ministers, Native American religious leaders and magistrates to officiate weddings.

Sen. Tony Rand is already annoyed about another marriage waiver.

The Senate Majority Leader said he gets hot under the collar when judges ask for special exemptions to the statutes that restrict them from performing weddings. 

"Either judges can conduct weddings, or judges can't conduct weddings," he told Dome. "The judges say they don't want to conduct weddings until junior wants to get married, and then they want us to make an exception."

A bill this year would allow retired state judges to perform weddings. Under state law, only ordained ministers, certain Native American religious leaders and magistrates can serve as officiants.

Rand noted that his son, Ripley, is a Superior Court judge.

"I have told him that if he ever suggests anything like that to me, I'm going to change my name," he said.