* Gov. Beverly Perdue signed into law a bill that toughens penalties increasing the penalty for those who strike and kill someone when they run through a school bus stop arm. (GN&R)

* Perdue's lukewarm reception on the Greenville stop of her statewide tax tour was repeated in Wilmington. (WS-N)

* While friends lobby for a pardon, imprisoned former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black may hold his own key to early release — by cooperating with prosecutors who put him behind bars. (N&O)

* A historical marker was unveiled on Monday as a lasting monument to the more than 7,600 people sterilized by the state in a misguided 20th-century effort to reduce defects in the gene pool. (N&O)

Gov. Beverly Perdue's budget includes a few projects.

A 118-page summary of the governor's proposed $21 billion budget has a number of specific projects it seeks to fund:

* Fund UNC-Chapel Hill Biomedical Research Center: $10 million.

* Support East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine program for indigent care in Eastern Carolina: $4 million.

* Set up the Office of Economic Recovery, a short-term agency set up to maximize federal stimulus money: $2.3 million.

* Fund Project C.A.R.E., which helps caregivers of people with dementia: $500,000.

* Begin planning for a foundation that would compensate victims of the state's decades-long eugenics sterilization program: $250,000.

Some of the money has also been requested in special appropriations bills: Project C.A.R.E., the UNC expansion and indigent care at ECU, though legislators sought significantly more money for sterilization compensation.

State legislators have now asked for $778.7 million.

A total of 130 bills filed since the start of the session have requested special appropriations for various state programs and causes.

That's about 25 percent of the likely $3 billion budget shortfall.

Thirty-one of the bills are companions filed in the other chamber, and three other bills are similar. Bills filed in both chambers total $162.3 million.

The 68 House spending bills total $523.8 million; 61 Senate spending bills, $531.8 million.

The largest spending bill to date is Sen. Larry Shaw's request for $173 million to compensate victims of the state's sterilization program, which is unlikely to pass. The second largest is Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand's request for $113.5 million to shore up the State Health Plan, which is likely to pass.

Other large requests are for $93 million to supplement teacher salaries, $50 million for wastewater treatment projects, $50 million for low-income housing, $44 million to pay teacher bonuses, and $36 million for public health programs.

The smallest request is for $10,000 to upgrade a day care.

Only 11 spending bills totaling $70.8 million have a Republican among their primary sponsors.

The bills also request $434.8 million in the 2010-'11 budget.

Three spending bills are among the most popular in the House.

Proposed appropriations bills to teach children about the state's sterilization program, compensate its victims and run a Kids Voting program have more than 30 cosponsors.

That means they have the support of more than a fourth of the 120 members of the House, a good indicator that they'll be seriously considered. 

Whether they will be added to the budget or pass the Senate is another matter. So far, only the Kids Voting bill has a companion in the other chamber, although a separate compensation bill has been filed with a much higher price tag.

The House compensation bill with 31 cosponsors would set aside $18.6 million for victims, while a Senate bill with only one sponsor would set aside $173 million. Of the other popular House bills, Kids Voting would get $300,000, and sterilization education programs would get $36,648.

Another 10 spending bills have more than 20 cosponsors, or more than one-sixth of the House. The median House spending bill has 14 cosponsors, or about one-ninth.

In all, state representatives have filed 42 spending bills so far worth a total of $248.3 million.

State legislators have now asked for $363.2 million.

Eleven more bills filed since Dome last checked have added another $181.3 million in requested spending, even as the state faces a $2 billion shortfall.

The largest request of the most recent batch — or any bill to date — is $173 million for compensation of victims of the state's eugenics program. That's $154 million more than the amount requested in a similar House bill for compensation.

The smallest requests are $50,000 each for the Arthritis Foundation to run programs in Charlotte and Our Children's Place to run a prison mothers program.

Other spending bills would pay for a community college mentoring program for minority males, help run a heart institute at East Carolina University, support the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, fund programs at the N.C. Arts Council, build a John Coltrane Music Hall in High Point and build a new campus for Stanly Community College.

Another bill is a companion to money already requested for the state Housing Trust Fund.

In all the requests amount to 18 percent of the estimated shortfall.

The bills also call for another $4.9 million to be spent next year, bringing the total to $32.9 million for 2010-11 requests.

Ongoing coverage of spending bills is available here.

A few of the more interesting Senate bills:

S.B. 172: Allow Charter Schools in 100 Counties, Sen. Eddie Goodall

S.B. 178: Repeal Ban G.S. 95-98, Sen. Larry Shaw

S.B. 179: Sterilization Compensation, Sen. Shaw

S.B. 181: Drivers License Change Expir./8 yrs to 65, Sen. Shaw

S.B. 182: Honor Bob Scott, Sen. Tony Foriest

Several more House bills were filed this afternoon:

H.B. 21: Eugenics Program - Support and Education, Reps. Larry Womble, Ronnie Sutton, Earline Parmon and Martha Alexander

H.B. 22: Enhance Youth Employment Protections, Reps. Jennifer Weiss, Melanie Wade Goodwin, Paul Luebke, Angela Bryant

H.B. 23: Strengthen Child Labor Violation Penalties, Reps. Weiss, Luebke, Bryant and Goodwin

H.B. 24: Funds for Cochlear Implants / CASTLE, Rep. Verla Insko

H.B. 25: Clarify SCFAC Appointments, Rep. Insko

H.B. 26: Stay Beach Plan Rates, Deductible Surcharges, Reps. Timothy Spear, Carolyn Justice

A bill filed today would give victims of the state's sterilization program $20,000 each.

The legislation, filed by four House Democrats, would make one-time cash payments to the estimated 2,000 to 2,800 North Carolinians sterilized by a state eugenics program that ran from 1929 through the 1970s.

The total cost could be between $40 and $56 million.

Rep. Larry Womble, a Winston-Salem Democrat and one of the primary sponsors, said that he expects a lot of resistance from legislators worried about the state's potential $2 billion shortfall. But he said compensation is the right thing to do.

"The state committed a wrong against innocent people," he said. "This was worse than Nazi Germany."

A working committee came up with the figure on its own, since it could not find any similar compensation efforts to model. Womble said that he considers it far too low, but it was the best they could do.

"There is no amount of money that can restore their dignity or replace what the state took away from them," he said. "Their bloodline has been cut. They cannot continue their family name because the state did this horrific thing to the insides of their bodies." 

State Sen. Walter Dalton said a commission should study compensation.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor told Dome that the forced sterilization program in North Carolina was "a terrible time in our state's history."

But he said he would hold judgement on compensation until a commission is created to study the program and how to respond to it. 

"I think you need to wait to hear what the study commission reports," he said. "What happened to those people was absolutely terrible, but it did happen a long, long time ago. ... There are obvious legal issues that will have to be addressed."

He noted that a bill to create a study commission is eligible for consideration in the upcoming short session. He also pointed out that he voted for a previous bill repealing the sterilization laws.

Earlier: Hampton Dellinger calls for compensation; Dan Besse supports education and compensation; Pat Smathers says it's not a high priority.

Dan Besse says he would focus on education about the state's sterilization program.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor told Dome that he thinks victims of the state's forced sterilization program are more concerned with making sure it doesn't happen again than receiving money.

To that end, he said he would push for the State Board of Education to mandate that information about the program be included in North Carolina history curricula.

"Since they cannot ever have children of their own, we ought to take as their legacy that we will not let ourselves be involved again in this kind of horrific episode," he said.

Besse also argued that the lieutenant governor would have more authority as a member of the Board of Education to push for that change than to push for compensation.

Clarification: Besse supports financial compensation as well, but he told Dome that the lieutenant governor can't do much about it directly.

Earlier: Hampton Dellinger calls for compensation; Pat Smathers says it's not a high priority.