If there was any sign that the Senate was ready to go home, it was today's debate over House Bill 291, the Cosmetic Art Act.

First, Sen. Don East, a Republican from Pilot Mountain, took objection to the bill's conference report, which didn't include an amendment he added to the bill when it first came through the Senate. He complained that the chamber's leadership left him out of key negotiations.

"The leadership didn't even give me the courtesy of being on the conference committee," East said. "So you can stick this bill where the sun don't shine!" he said, slamming his microphone down on the table.

"You guys get upset about your hairdos," said Senate leader Marc Basnight, who was presiding over the chamber.

Sen. Tom Apodaca (above), in a moment of jest, asked that Basnight, for once, get upset about his hair cut.

"At least mine is real," Basnight replied. "All of you realize he had that implant done," suggesting that Apodaca had hair implants recently. He then added that Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, could probably use a similar procedure.

After a few minutes of laughter, Sen. Doug Berger (below) stood up to speak on the bill, prompting another barb from Basnight.

"What is it that Berger has on his head?" he asked the chamber.

The Senate to expects to pass a version of the bill today. 

Sen. Tom Apodaca operates above both his constituents and other politicians -- literally. He and his wife, Lisa, have moved to a downtown, second-floor condominium in Hendersonville that is featured in the latest edition of Carolina Home + Garden magazine.

The cover photo shows Lisa Apodaca on the covered porch -- "a lush, secluded oasis that is the most popular 'room' in the house," the article says -- along with the couple's English bulldog, "Raleigh."

"Lisa was smart," joked Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, "she had the dog in the photo, not Tom."

A sunglasses-bedecked Tom Apodaca, though, appears in the photos with the article, which quotes an interior designer declaring that porches are making a comeback.

The building, built in the 1880's, once housed the first telephone exchange in Hendersonville.

Both Democratic and Republican senators shed tears and shared memories Thursday of Sen. Vernon Malone, a Raleigh Democrat who died April 18.

They described a man who endured segregation in his youth and, as an adult, led the unification of the Raleigh and Wake County school systems, which helped build the system's consistently strong reputation and fuel the county's rapid growth.

"Vernon had a vision and the courage to implement that vision," said Sen. Dan Blue, the Raleigh Democrat who took Malone's seat.

They remembered his attractive handwriting on the notes he passed, the holiday party held by Malone and his late wife, Susan, his sage advice, his soft voice and his warmth.

"A steely gentleman," said Sen. Josh Stein, a Raleigh Democrat.

The normally boisterous Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and one of the legislature's most influential figures, broke down in the midst of his remarks.

Sen. Tom Apodaca, a Hendersonville Republican, said he spent part of the morning on his porch contemplating what to say: "All I could hear was Vernon saying, 'Please don't say much. Get on with the business of the state.'"

Some recent Senate bills of note:

S.B. 386: Make Best Use of Corporate Tax Revenue, Sen. Dan Clodfelter

S.B. 397: Increase Cap on Charter Schools, Sen. Debbie Clary

S.B. 400: No Increase in UNC In-State Tuition or Fees, Sen. Tom Apodaca

S.B. 403: Victims Compensation Amendment, Sen. Doug Berger

S.B. 410: Increase Cig. Tax/Proceeds to MHTF, Sen. Martin Nesbitt

S.B. 417: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Sen. Clodfelter

S.B. 426: Legislative Compensation, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird

Ten state legislators drive more than 500 miles to work.

After Dome learned that Rep. Roger West's 720-mile round trip from Marble to Raleigh is the longest commute, we wondered about the other legislators with long drives:

Sen. John Snow, Murphy, 706 miles
Sen. Joe Sam Queen, Waynesville, 552 miles
Sen. Tom Apodaca, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Sen. Martin Nesbitt, Asheville, 520 miles
Rep. David Guice, Brevard, 582 miles
Rep. Susan Fisher, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Bruce Goforth, Asheville, 500 miles
Rep. Carolyn Justus, Hendersonville, 550 miles
Rep. Phil Haire, Sylva, 590 miles

Not surprisingly, all 10 represent the mountains. 

Libba Evans hasn't worked since May.

The secretary of the state Department of Cultural Resources took unpaid leave from her job to attend to personal business.

Still, she showed up at a Barack Obama rally in Greensboro in October.

The prolonged absence has led some Republicans to question why she hasn't resigned and whether her job is even necessary.

"Since we're facing tremendous budget problems and we have a secretary of cultural resources who hasn't been to work in six months and apparently wasn't missed, perhaps we could do away with that position," said Sen. Tom Apodaca, a Hendersonville Republican and deputy Republican Senate leader.

Evans, a former state Democratic Party chair, did not return messages left for her on three phone lines in North Carolina and Florida as well as an interview requested made through the department's attorney. (N&O) 

Labor unions last week gave $730,000 to the N.C. Democratic Party, which in turn gave large contributions to the party's nominee for governor.

Campaign finance reports show that the state Democratic Party received $730,000 from three union political action committees. The party then turned around and gave Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's campaign an $875,000 contribution and spent $245,000 to send mailers on her behalf. That infusion of cash represents a quarter of the $4.6 million Perdue raised in the last three months.

Detailed campaign finance reports for the last three months are not yet publicly available. The donations were included in required 48-hour reports over the last week.

More after the jump.

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Bob Dole took refuge in a senator's office.

The former U.S. Senate majority leader was waiting his turn to speak at a rally in front of the legislature inside, but too many bystanders were walking up.

So he went inside the office of Sen. Tom Apodaca, a Hendersonville Republican.

Dole was accompanied by staffers for his wife, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Update: A reliable informant tells us that Dole was actually outside Apodaca's office.