Gov. Easley signs 25 bills hours after shoulder surgery

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Mike Easley's shoulder surgery was a success, his doctor's reported Tuesday morning.

Easley had surgery Tuesday at Duke University Hospital. Dr. Bill Garrett and Dr. Dean Taylor “removed spurs, excised a bursa, and debrided the cuff tendons,” according to information released by the governor's office.

The governor was conscious during the procedure, doctors said, and joked with his surgeons.

Easley will have to wear a sling for a while and restrict activity for several months.

The governor on Monday signed 25 bills passed during the recent legislative session. Among the bills signed into law are:

• Requirements for uninsured/undersinsured motorist coverage
• A limit on parole reviews for those convicted of murder
• Making leaving the scene of a serious accident a felony
• A provision for the public funding for funerals of Highway Patrol troopers killed in the line of duty.

Easley must sign or veto the remaining 87 bills by Aug. 17, or they automatically become law.

Asked if wearing a sling would affect the governor's handwriting, Garrett said Easley's "signature will not be any worse."