Legislature 2008: And Then There Were...345

That's about how many bills survived Wednesday's Day 50 deadline for measures to pass from the chamber where they were introduced.

The survivors account for about 16 percent of the more than 2,100 introduced this session.

Nearly two thirds of the bills that made the cut were passed within the last three days.

Also, only seven bills have been sent to the governor so far.

Among the highlights:

CELL PHONES: Including plenty of exceptions, the House voted to make talking or texting on a cell phone while driving a misdmeanor. The Associated Press reports along with MetroNews, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington and The Charleston Gazette.

CLEAN STREAMS: The Senate voted to trash the state's "Tier 2.5" category for stream protections, AP's Tom Breen reports, leaving the waterways proposed for that list to join tiers that offer greater or lesser quality standards. Others with coverage include The Register-Herald of Beckley.

DRUGS: "Drug dealers would face stiffer penalties if one of their customers dies of an overdose," a Senate-passed bill covered by the Herald-Dispatch proposes.

LANDFILLS: The Senate has passed a tipping fee measure meant to allow more tonnage at a new McDowell County landfill. Those with details include AP, MetroNews, The Register-Herald and The Gazette.

PARKS: The Herald-Dispatch reports on a Senate-passed bill "that protects park districts from lawsuits filed by people who are injured by acting carelessly on park property."

REAL ID: West Virginia would join at least 17 other states in objecting to a federal driver's license law, under a Senate measure detailed by AP, The Register-Herald,

ROAD PROJECTS: The House passed the oft-discussed method of public-private partnerships to bolster West Virginia's anemic State Road Fund. As AP explains, the bill "allow public-private deals for future construction projects," and "as compensation, the private partners could erect tolls, collect user fees or mine coal at the project site." The Charleston Gazette also has a report.

TAXES: Lawmakers exchanged proposed cuts to the corporate net income tax (AP, The Register-Herald) and the severance tax on timber (AP) and a break on property taxes for seniors (AP).

TEACHER PENSIONS: A Senate committee has amended the House-passed measure that aims to allow teachers to merge ailing 410(k)-style retirement accounts into the state's other pension fund. Teacher groups are not happy with the result, AP reports.