After weeks during which it seemed they could find little to do, senators are now racing through overloaded schedules. On Thursday, the Senate tore through more than 30 bills in about 90 minutes, with a 15-minute break for a quick committee meeting.

Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, said he encourages members and bill advocates every year to work early in the session and not wait until the last minute. His entreaties don't work, Basnight said.

Some states set limits on the length of the legislative session. North Carolina does not.

Basnight said imposing a definite end date would help, but other states have similar problems with late-session flurries.

"It comes at the end for all of us," he said.

As harried as legislators are now, this is nothing compared with the last days of the session. Lawmakers often work past midnight and are asked to vote on proposals that have been written and negotiated in a few days or hours.

"This week it's not so bad," said Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican. "It'll get worse."

The session so far

THE SENATE: 101 days | THE HOUSE: 103 days

Thursday's highlights

CLEAN BEDS FOR MIGRANTS: The Senate gave final approval to a bill that would require farmers to provide migrant workers with mattresses and clean covers.

Housing inspectors would do more checks of farms that have a history of problems complying with standards. The requirements are much less stringent than those proposed two years ago.

"For many people, this is not much of a piece of legislation," said Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Beulaville Democrat and the bill's sponsor. "It's a giant step for common decency."

It goes to Gov. Mike Easley.

CELL TOWER QUESTIONS: Cities would be limited in the questions they could ask applicants for cell towers about their business and service plans under a bill the Senate approved. The state chapter of the American Planning Association said the measure inhibits municipalities from getting all the information they need and locks them into time frames for approving or denying permits.

The bill goes to the House.

NO LYING TO PHONE COMPANY: The Senate sent a bill to Easley that makes it a crime to obtain telephone records by lying to a telephone company or customer. Using the Internet to obtain customer telephone records without the customer's consent also is outlawed, as is selling phone records obtained illegally.

The proposal follows news last year that the former head of Hewlett-Packard authorized "pretexting," or lying to obtain phone records, to spy on the company's board of directors.

HONORING LUCAS: The Senate voted 44-4 to establish a scholarship fund in honor of a Durham senator who died this year.

The Jeanne Hopkins Lucas Scholarship Fund would provide two need-based, $2,500 annual scholarships at each public historically black college and university in the state.

Lucas, the first black woman in the state Senate, died March 9. She was 71.

Sen. Harris Blake, one of four senators who voted against the bill, said he didn't feel comfortable with the precedent he felt the fund would set. He said his vote was not against Lucas, whom he called a "wonderful person."

The bill goes to the House.