Committee Takes Up Lottery

The House Rules Committee held a public hearing Monday to discuss the possibility of adopting a state lottery.

Gov. Mike Easley campaigned last year on a platform that included a state lottery, intending the revenue from the lottery to fund education.

The lottery bill has passed the largely Democratic Senate several times in the past but has never passed the House. It is uncertain if there are enough votes to pass the bill, which most Republicans and some Democrats oppose.

While House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, has not taken a public stance on the lottery, he has said that he will allow the legislation to be heard and will not attempt to block its passage.

Opposition to the lottery was strong among the participants at the hearing.

Former UNC-system President Bill Friday said, "I do not want to see my state ... say to its people, `yes, we're going to provide the best education possible, but we must resort to gambling.'"

Former N.C. Treasurer Harlan Boyles said the financial value of a lottery actually declines over time. "The lottery's revenues have declined in 32 of the lottery's states," he said.

Some participants also expressed concern that putting the lottery issue to a referendum -- the option most lawmakers support -- would set a bad precedent. "From now and forever, all issues of public controversy may well be resolved by voter initiatives," Boyles said.

But some participants were concerned that legislators were not accurately representing the people by opposing a referendum. "We need to let all the people have that right (to choose) and have a vote on this," said Rep. Bill Owens, D-Camden.

Claims that the lottery would create an added economic drain on lower-income households is another objection to the lottery raised at the hearing.

"Most of the money raised comes from a disadvantaged segment of society," said Bill Brooks, executive director of the N.C. Family Policy Council.

Brooks said that the lottery could harm rather than help children.

"A state lottery will take food off the plates of children," Brooks said.

But several representatives from Georgia praised a lottery system that recently was implemented there.

"In hindsight, I don't believe there has been a more significant piece of legislation passed in the state of Georgia than what we did with the lottery legislation," said Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, stressing the importance of $362 million in revenue the lottery has provided to Georgia's educational system.

But in spite of the possible benefits of a state lottery, opposition remains strong.

Chris Fitzsimon of the Common Sense Foundation suggested a slogan for the lottery legislature. "We get 3K, and the poor people pay," Fitzsimon said.

Rules Committee Chairman William Culpepper, D-Chowan, said the hearing has brought the legislation closer to being heard by the full House. The House has not yet set a date to hear the proposal.

Culpepper said, "It was a procedure that needed to happen in order for the legislature to move forward."

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