Lottery Legislation Stagnates; Chance of Referendum Low

A lottery to fund improvements in education was part of Gov. Mike Easley's platform bid for election last fall. After the bill sat idle for most of the session in the House Rules Committee, the committee held a public hearing on the lottery in early October. But there has been no legislative activity on the bill since then, and no plans have been made for its future.

Danny Lineberry, press secretary for House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, said the speaker has yet to decide if there will be further debate on the legislation during the current session. Black has never expressed support for the lottery but has said he will not use his powers as speaker to block its passage.

Lottery legislation passed the N.C. Senate several times in the past decade, but Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, said the Senate will not deal with the lottery this session until it is first passed by the House.

Rep. Gordon Allen, D-Person, a member of the House Rules Committee, said the different bills will not be brought up until redistricting legislation is completed. "The leadership has said (the lottery bill) will not be taken up before redistricting is complete," he said.

The House has taken up discussion of congressional redistricting after spending several weeks trying to pass an N.C. House redistricting plan. Congressional redistricting is the last major piece of legislation the General Assembly is expected to take up this session.

Lineberry said he expects the General Assembly to adjourn within the next few weeks.

Rep. William Owens, D-Camden, who sponsored two out of the three lottery bills sitting in the House, said lobbying efforts by anti-lottery factions have eroded support in the House for a state lottery. "We had a lot of letters and calls against it and not a lot for it," he said. "Representatives listen to their constituents."

Owens said several legislators recently switched sides, and divisive political issues in the House have further complicated efforts to pass a statewide lottery.

Owens said the legislation probably will come up again in future sessions.

He said as neighboring states such as South Carolina and Tennessee implement lotteries and more North Carolina money crosses state lines, lottery legislation will gain more support.

A coalition of anti-lottery groups formed the Citizens United Against the Lottery when lottery bills were first proposed last winter.

The group has members representing a myriad of interests -- from economic justice to traditional family values.

John Rustin, director of government relations for the N.C. Family Policy Council, a conservative nonprofit organization that researches issues affecting families, said he thinks the anti-lottery effort has had success so far because of its broad-based coalition. "One of the fundamental strategies for success is forming coalitions with folks who have similar positions even if they come to them for different reasons," Rustin said.

Dan Gerlach, director of the N.C. Budget and Tax Center, said increased awareness and education caused the public to decrease its support for the lottery.

He said, "The lottery is no longer the golden goose people thought it was. People are kind of tired of the lottery now."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.