HEADLINES:

General Assembly works long hours to meet deadline; session's end nears, probably next week

Legislature votes to end limit of 100 charter schools statewide, expanding alternatives

Photo ID mandate for voting gets final House approval, margin still short if there's veto

NC lawmakers ease threat of lawsuits on ER doctors, making malpractice lawsuits harder to win

Workers' compensation bill goes to Gov. Perdue; caps some payments, raises other benefits

Bill requiring sports concussion awareness, treatment passes Legislature

Bloodsucking bedbugs may become financial worry for apartment tenants in legislation

General Assembly agrees to shift Medicaid funding model for mental health to managed care

Republican legislators vote to cut off payroll deductions to Democrat-friendly teachers' group

Senate bill to eliminate dozens of panels, committee, keeps Dalton's commission operating

THE BRIEF:

DEADLINE MET: The House completed its busy work schedule before an earlier self-imposed procedural deadline after all. General Assembly members left Raleigh for the weekend before the sun went down after working some late nights this week. The House floor session Wednesday went until midnight. The Legislature considered hundreds of bills this week. Bills that didn't require tax changes or spending were essentially dead until 2013 unless they passed either the House or Senate before they left Raleigh. The Senate extended the House's deadline until Sunday, but the House didn't need more time. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, have said they want to adjourn this year's session by June 17. That may depend on whether the budget bill on Gov. Beverly Perdue's desk becomes law next week.

CHARTER SCHOOLS: The General Assembly is opening up the state's 15-year experiment with charter schools by approving an end of the statewide 100-school limit. About 41,000 of the state's nearly 1.5 million public school students attend the alternative public schools. About 20,000 families are on waiting lists to enroll children, boosters say. Legislation promoted by House and Senate Republican leaders was negotiated for nearly two months before stripped-down legislation emerged and was passed the same day. Gov. Beverly Perdue wants to read the details, but it's likely something she can support, spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said. Charter schools are tuition-free, taxpayer-funded, part of the state school system and accountable to public school boards for showing results. The proposed North Carolina legislation would allow charter schools to charge fees for band participation or other activities if traditional schools charge them. Charter schools would have up to five years to show their students meet adequate performance guidelines before being closed.

VOTER ID: House Republicans completed their part in passing legislation that demands people show photo identification before they enter a voting booth, but they still look a few votes short of canceling any potential veto by Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue. After two hours of passionate debate over perceptions of voter security and suppression, sprinkled with questions about partisan motives, the GOP-led House gave its approval. The 66-48 vote, however, indicates the measure might not become law this year even if the Senate passes it next because the margin falls a few votes shy of overcoming any potential veto. Perdue's office has been critical of the legislation, and Democrats and voting rights advocates have called it a veiled method to suppress voting among blacks, older adults and women. House Speaker Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, said the measure is about responding to complaints from constituents worried about illegal voting. Republicans made voter ID a part of their campaign platform last fall.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: Lawmakers have decided to make it very difficult for a patient harmed by an emergency room doctor to collect compensation for anything beyond medical costs and lost income. The House and Senate approved final versions of legislation that in most cases would limit a physician's malpractice responsibility to $500,000 for any death, disfigurement, permanent injury or loss of a body part like legs or vision. Gov. Beverly Perdue now must decide whether to accept the measure or veto it. Republicans said their effort will attract more doctors to the state and create jobs. Supporters said everyone will save money passed along when doctors order tests to defend themselves from lawsuits. Opponents said the liability limit may be an unconstitutional restriction on the jury system of justice.

WORKERS COMPENSATION: Consensus legislation to change limits on benefits for workers injured on the job has swept through the General Assembly and is moving to Gov. Beverly Perdue for her signature. The Senate agreed unanimously to give final legislative approval to rules governing workers' compensation laws. The House gave its approval last week to the legislation assembled after weeks of talks between attorneys, employer and employee groups. The bill caps temporary payments for a totally disabled worker at nearly 10 years. The current law has no cap, while surrounding states have limits. The bill also raises the maximum time for wage benefits for the partially disabled and for death benefits.

CONCUSSION SAFETY: Legislation that would teach parents, students and coaches to look out for concussions and keep school athletes out of competition until healed is close to becoming law. The state House and Senate approved the bill aiming to teach adults how to spot a concussion injury. The measure next goes to Gov. Beverly Perdue. The legislation requires high school and middle school students showing symptoms to be pulled out of play immediately and to be examined before returning to the field. The bill is named for Matt Gfeller (guh-FEL'-ur) of Winston-Salem Reynolds and Jaquan Waller of Greenville Rose, both of whom died from head injuries suffered during high school football games.

BEDBUGS: Apartment dwellers could face new problems from bloodsucking bedbugs. The state House passed legislation that makes tenants responsible for notifying landlords about a bedbug infestation, and paying to exterminate the pests from their rental unit and any others to which the bugs have spread. The measure that now heads to the Senate is an effort to deal with a growing pest problem. The proposed law says a landlord can't rent an apartment known to have bedbugs. If a dwelling passes an inspection, the landlord isn't responsible for exterminating a future flare-up. The tenant would be responsible to pay any costs of eliminating bedbugs from the dwelling and any neighboring units. Bedbugs feed off animal and human blood and can be found in mattresses, furniture and clothing.

MENTAL HEALTH: Local mental health treatment systems would consolidate and shift to a new managed-care model for Medicaid-paid services currently used in a handful of counties in legislation heading to Gov. Beverly Perdue's desk. The Senate gave final legislative approval to expand what state regulators consider a successful pilot project that places more controls on Medicaid service providers for the mentally ill, substance abusers and people with developmental disabilities. Local management offices that don't enter the model by early 2013 will be forced to do so. State regulators support the change. Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt warned against a dramatic change for a mental health system that has struggled over the past decade.

MONEY FIGHT: Conflict between Republican legislators and the state's leading teachers' group is heading to a new arena. The state House voted 63-51 to strip the North Carolina Association of Educators of its revenue stream. The legislation singling out the Democrat-allied group would stop it from deducting membership dues from teacher paychecks. Gov. Beverly Perdue now decides whether to accept the GOP move or veto it. House Speaker Thom Tillis said the dues cutoff is not an attack on teachers but the political agitation of the NCAE's leadership. The Mecklenburg County Republican called the group a "political machine for the Left." NCAE President Sheri Strickland says the group will continue spreading the message that the Republican-written state budget will be responsible for thousands of schoolhouse layoffs and increased class sizes.

CANCELED COMMISSIONS: Dozens of state commissions and panels would be eliminated in cost-saving legislation approved by the Senate, which spared a committee led by Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton. The Senate gave overwhelming approval in favor of ending nearly 60 panels that bill sponsors are found to be duplicative or unnecessary, or have outlived their purpose. Hundreds of people serve on the panels. Dalton complained after Wednesday's first vote on the bill because it would end the Joining Our Businesses and Schools Study Commission, of which he is chairman. The panel looks at how to align public schools with demand of local industries. An amendment offered Thursday took the commission out of the bill, which now goes to the House.

SCORECARD:

In the House:

— H300, to end the practice of Democratic Party candidates listed first on election ballots. Approved 100-15. Next: To the Senate.

— H346, to make several election law changes, including barring a person from running on the same general election ballot for more than one office except to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term. Approved 116-1. Next: To the Senate.

— H824, to create a new process for legislative and congressional redistricting that would put the non-partisan General Assembly staff in charge of drawing potential maps, effective with the 2020 round of redistricting. Final House approval 88-27. Next: To the Senate.

In the Senate:

— S781, to make changes to the regulatory rules process, including preventing state agencies from adopting environmental rules that are more restrictive than those imposed by federal law or rules, with some exceptions; and to make certain environmental permits valid for up to eight years. Final Senate approval 49-0. Next: To the House.

— S552, to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to create an incentives program to encourage the creation of multicounty local public health departments, and to set aside $5 million for this program. Final Senate approval. Next: To the House.

— S697, to prohibit retaliation against any nurse who makes a good-faith report about patient medical care. Approved. Next: To the House.

— S679, to place the burden of proof on prosecutors if there's a question whether a person was justified firing at an intruder entering homes, cars or workplaces; to allows prosecutors and bail bondsmen who have concealed weapon permits to carry guns in certain circumstances; and to allow concealed permit holders to be armed in state and local parks. Final Senate approval 35-9. Next: To the House.

— S656, to ensure patients have the right to choose their physical therapist until their health insurance plans. Approved 47-0. Next: To the House.

AROUND THE STATEHOUSE:

The deadline flurry that saw scores of bills pass from the House or Senate to the other chamber thudded to a notable halt for two proposals. The House voted down one bill that would have allowed motorists caught with speeding 15 mph over the limit but no more than 80 mph to suffer no insurance premium surcharge or driver's license points assessment if they took the safe driver incentive plan. Opponents said it would reward dangerous drivers. On Wednesday, the rare event of floor defeat came to the Senate. The legislation would have taken away free fishing licenses from people on food stamps, Work First, or Medicaid. The subsistence license is intended to let poor people fish for free in order to supplement their diet. An annual fishing license is $15.

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By Emery P. Dalesio and Gary D. Robertson.