Not so fast, say members of a coalition seeking lobbying, ethics and campaign finance reforms.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying Reform is holding a news conference today to remind lawmakers that not one piece of reform legislation has cleared the legislature, despite widespread calls for changes in the way business is done on Jones Street.

Several bills have cleared the House, including one that would create the state's first ethics law for the executive branch. These bills have yet to come to the Senate floor for a vote. Senate leaders said Wednesday the chamber will likely offer its own set of reforms soon.

Neither chamber has taken up proposals to ban nearly all gifts from lobbyists. Coalition members say one such bill that recently cleared a House committee has a serious flaw: An amendment removed a provision prohibiting lobbyists from raising money for political campaigns.

Rep. Paul Stam, an Apex Republican who introduced the amendment, said barring lobbyists from fundraising is a violation of their free speech protection under the U.S. Constitution.

Today, one of the coalition's members, former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr, will dispute that contention.

Orr, who now heads the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law, said the institute's initial research shows no infringement on the First Amendment.

He said the restrictions are justified by the "public concern for 'good government' untainted by the appearance of undue influence wielded by registered lobbyists attempting to influence governmental decision-making while also participating in political fundraising for those same government officials."

Hayes foe stubs toe

Schoolteacher Larry Kissell, the Democrat trying to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes in the 8th District, issued a blaring statement that said Hayes is a flip-flopping, unloyal and "fair-weather friend" of President Bush who skipped Bush's visit to Fort Bragg this week to head "for the hills."

Problem is, Hayes met with Bush at Fort Bragg on Tuesday and then stuck around for an Independence Day celebration.

"This attack is not only outrageous, it's just bizarre," said Carolyn Hern, a spokeswoman for Hayes.

She said Hayes ate with the troops at a luncheon the president also attended. Hayes and Bush talked briefly, Hern said.

Kissell's news release and statements were issued under a headline that blasted Hayes for skipping the Bush visit. It suggested that Hayes did not want to be associated with Bush because of the president's immigration policies.

A Kissell spokesman was unapologetic about the error, saying it was based on news reports that suggested that Hayes might not attend the Bush visit.

The spokesman, Steve Hudson, said the campaign didn't spot Hayes or hear him mentioned when the president gave a 30-minute speech to troops.

Told of Hayes' presence, Hudson said: "It was evident to us that he wasn't at any of the public events, then."

Nonprofit's new leader

Ken Rose is stepping down as executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, a nonprofit law firm in Durham that handles appeals for North Carolina's death row inmates.

As of July 17, Chapel Hill lawyer Thomas Maher will become executive director. Rose will become a staff attorney at the center.

"I've been the director for 10 years," Rose said. "I decided I wanted less administration, more case work."

Maher said he is excited to start a job focused primarily on the death penalty. He will be leaving the Chapel Hill law firm of Winston & Maher, where he worked with lawyer Barry Winston.

In 2003, Maher, along with lawyer David Rudolf, defended Durham novelist Mike Peterson, who was convicted in the 2001 murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.

Candidate not charged

Special prosecutors said last week they would not file charges against Sherman Lee Criner, a Wilmington lawyer running for state Senate.

Criner was under investigation for taking indecent liberties with a child. Criner, a Republican, is running against first-term Democrat Julia Boseman.