Efforts for
North Carolina Lottery Fall Short
Like a phantom that refuses
to be exorcised, a lottery haunts the halls of the
General Assembly -- surviving a stonewall of opposition
but never quite gaining the support necessary to
burst fully to life as the Senate wrapped up its
work this week.
"I thought there would be a break, and that
break never occurred," Senate Leader Marc Basnight
by telephone Wednesday afternoon as he drove home
from the chamber's marathon session that ended at
sunrise.
Basnight, Gov. Mike Easley and other lottery supporters
continued their push to the 11th hour and 59th minute
of the Senate's session as they have for weeks,
fruitlessly telephoning and cajoling anti-lottery
holdouts.
But they declined to take advantage of a procedural
loophole that would have given them the single vote
needed to pass the bill, citing respect for an absent
senator and for legislative tradition.
"There were some opportunities to use some
trickery, but we decided not to do that," Basnight
said. "That would have been unethical."
So the bill to create a lottery remains on the
table for the Legislature to take up again when
it meets next spring -- or sooner. The House met
again Wednesday, with Speaker Jim Black warning
that representatives may not finish their work until
next week.
Unless the House adjourns for the year Wednesday,
a majority of senators would have to come back later
to close down the session.
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