The governor has signed into law a rewrite of the state lobbying rules that requires lobbyists to file more frequent expense reports and closes a loophole that allowed some wining and dining to go undeclared. The loophole had allowed spending on lawmakers as long as no legislation was discussed. Now any expenditure above ten dollars must be reported. Governor Mike Easley signed the lobbyist bill and several others before the Sunday night deadline to consider 116 bills approved by the Legislature. He vetoed a teacher licensing bill this week. The governor's office says Easley also signed a bill that created a new recreational saltwater fishing license.
