Lobbyists give Senate group an earful

RALEIGH — Lobbyists furthered talks with the state Senate’s lottery committee Wednesday morning, voicing their feelings on the bill narrowly passed earlier this month by the House.

Men and women in business suits and with serious demeanors serenaded the 19-member committee with their thoughts on the bill — the biggest topic in the early months of this year’s General Assembly.

Some of them wanted the Senate to take the House bill and run with it. But Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, a Cumberland County Democrat, said the committee will discuss the measure again next week.

“It’ll be a couple of weeks before we get to it,” he said.

The House bill, which passed with a one-person majority, would allot 50 percent of net revenues from a lottery to building new schools. Twenty-five percent would go to college scholarships, and 25 percent would get put into what legislators call an “education enhancement fund.”

Speaker Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, said he doesn’t think the House will pass a lottery again if the Senate makes major changes.

But Sen. Vernon Malone, D-Wake, said the chamber needs a thorough discussion because some senators have changed their minds in the past.

“It’s hard to get a good read because people switch from time to time,” he said.

Malone, though generally supportive of the bill, said he could reconsider his position if opponents present a strong argument.

Elaine Mejia, director of the N.C. Budget and Tax Center, sought to do exactly that.

She said regular education funding could be supplanted by unreliable lottery revenue. “Lottery revenues can swing wildly from year to year.”

If the measure passes, Mejia said, the majority of the public will become disillusioned when a lottery fails to drastically improve the state’s budget situation.

Lobbyists supporting the bill highlighted the revenue it could bring, stressing the need for school construction.

Craig Fitzgerald, a representative from GTech Corp., said having a specific goal for lottery revenues would excite consumers.

GTech, based in West Greenwich, R.I., provides technology services for 70 percent of the world’s online lotteries. “The people who play understand their money is going to a good cause,” Fitzgerald said.

He said he supports a N.C. lottery, but one dedicated primarily to new school construction.

Breeden Blackwell, president of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, said he supports the bill because it would ease the stress on individual counties to come up with funds for school construction. “Our resources can’t keep up with the need for schools.”

He told lawmakers that county commissioners across the state support an education lottery to help meet the need for an estimated $6 billion in new school buildings.

But Bill Brooks, president of the N.C. Family Policy Council, said senators must consider studies of people who buy lottery tickets.

“Those who study the issue realize that most money comes from the disadvantaged,” Brooks said.

Chris Fitzsimon of N.C. Policy Watch said lotteries in other states have had to aggressively advertise to keep revenues from dropping.

He said billboards that read, “How to get from Washington Boulevard to Easy Street: Play the Illinois lottery” unfairly target the poor.

Sen. Jeanne Lucas, D-Durham, said she is eager to pass the lottery bill because of vocal support for the measure from her constituents.

“The only thing they ask us is, ‘When are you going to pass this law?’”

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