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The Senate had, apparently, had enough last night.

Already reluctant to come back for this short three-day work period, senators did not like the idea they would be rushed to handle two pieces of an important legislation heading their way. Gov. Bev Perdue had just signed a new compact to allow the Eastern Band of Cherokee to have live table games, and the House was pushing through a measure to cap the state gas tax.

So the Senate left, slamming the door on any further action for this work period. They held their meeting for today at 12:05 a.m. and left town.

“The House has had since January to deal with this issue,” Sen. Phil Berger, the president pro tempore of the Senate, said Monday night. He added, “We just don’t think it’s an appropriate time for us to deal with that, to re-open the budget.”

Berger said he particularly didn’t like the idea of letting the “executive branch” make the cuts that would be required by the gas tax cap.

On the Cherokee matter, he was slightly more forgiving. While Berger wanted time for legislative lawyers to look over the deal before lawmakers ratified it, he’s not opposed to passing it before next May.

“We encourage the governor to call us back into a special session for the sole purpose of considering the compact,” Berger said.

So looking back on what the General Assembly was expected to handle this week, how are we doing?

Veto overrides: The House hasn’t tried any and doesn’t appear to have the votes to accomplish any of the lingering overrides on its calendar.

Tribal compact: Waiting for a special session.

Racial Justice Act: The Senate passed repeal on Monday. The bill now heads to Gov. Bev Perdue, who could veto the measure. (In fact, a lost of smart people in this building expect that she will.)

Beer: A bill that will allow breweries to sell their own products (even if some of those products are brewed by a sister location out of state) passed the House and Senate easily. There are two projects this could help bring to western North Carolina.

Gas Tax: It’s a dead issue. (Click here for my story from today.) Even if the House passes the gas tax cap bill today, there will be no Senate around to deal with it.

Teacher fix: Not done. Neither the House nor Senate has moved to fix a matter that deals with how teachers get paid when they return from summer vacation. Look for this to come up in the May short session.