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The House is having a full-on debate this morning over whether to impose stiff penalties for drivers who cause an accident while watching a movie while driving. It’s actually somewhat complex -- do iPods count? is a felony too strict? -- and lawmakers are taking it seriously.

In the last few days, lawmakers had quite a bit of hope they’d finish a day early. Some I think even have plane tickets for today. That plan failed sometime yesterday afternoon, and now it seems like we could be here for hours and hours. (The session ends tonight.)

Another debate over scallops and hairy crabs is yet to come -- a “food fight” bill, so-called for the lively debate it’s likely to bring.

A fellow Capitol newsman did some math yesterday after lawmakers spent most of an hour debating a single $25,000 appropriation in the capital budget. If they spent that much time for every dollar in the budget, he figured, they’d be here for another nine years.

Oh, and the bill just passed, 23-17.