Lottery might see vote soon

A lottery-for-education bill might come up for a vote in the state legislature in the next two weeks, and supporters are getting ready for what surely will be a fight to win a simple majority.

House Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, hopes to bring the bill to a vote on the floor in about two weeks, said Julie Robinson, Black’s spokeswoman.

Robinson said the speaker thinks the time is right to formally gauge legislative support.

Two lottery bills are now in the House rules committee. One, introduced Jan. 27 by Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, would allow counties the option of implementing a lottery. Money from the lotteries would be distributed to schools for construction and educational programs.

The second bill, introduced March 7 by Rep. Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson, is modeled after Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and would provide funds for college scholarships.

Owens said the bill that comes up for a vote will be some combination of these two proposals.

A third bill has provoked concerns about efficiency. It would put the lottery up for statewide referendum, a method some experts say would take more time than restricting the vote to the legislature.

Although legislators might have different ideas about how the money should be doled out for education, the vote is expected to hinge on what they think of the lottery itself.

“I don’t necessarily think the state should be in the gambling business,” Owens said. “But I think it’s a lot worse to let the hundreds of millions of dollars leave the state and educate other children.”

Every state bordering North Carolina now has a lottery. Many supporters, including Black, contend that North Carolinians already are playing the lottery in those states, funneling millions into other states’ coffers.

But Owens is not confident the bill will pass, though support for the measure might be greater this year.

“Right now, I’d say we don’t have the votes to pass it,” he said. “It’s time for the silent majority to show up.”

Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC’s Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life, said North Carolina’s status as one of the few Southern states without a lottery has altered the climate in the state.

“North Carolina has become an island in a sea of lotteries,” he said.

And while the vote inevitably will be close, he said new legislators might tip the scales on an issue that has been around a long time.

“We’ve also had considerable turnover in the last two election cycles,” he said. “For a good number of these legislators, this will be a first vote on a lottery.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.