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(Eh? latly (Ear UM EASLEY AIMS TO REVIVE LOTTERY BILL The fate of a North Carolina state lottery might again hang in the balance as legislators return to Raleigh today. Last session, the N.C. House overwhelmingly reject ed a bill that would have put a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot asking if voters were in favor of By Alexandra Dodson a state lotter y supporting early educa- Staff Writer tion. The legislation never came up in the N.C. Senate. Gov. Mike Easley has been a propo nent of the lottery bill since his election and likely will pursue it in the coming session. But there are mixed opinions as to what sort of hand the lottery issue will play once the General Assembly convenes. “I don’t hear a lot of dis cussion about the lottery right now,” said Amy Fulk, press sec retary for Senate President Pro Tern Marc Basnight, D-Dare. “The biggest issue is to get the economy back on track.” \. Joe Ferrell, UNC professor of government, said that pro-education legislators likely will propose the lottery as a revenue source but that the proposal’s impact likely will be minimal. “I think everyone who has an opinion about the lottery formed 1 BL •‘■l the East Coast without a lottery. Money’s flow ing out of our state.” A lottery would add about $4OO million annually to education funding in North Carolina - money that now is going into . lotteries in nearby states, Owens said. M “We’re educating other states’ children MA when we could be edu- A'Jr eating our own.” But John . Hood, president carti m in by ftlzh Gov. Mike Easley has failed for two straight sessions to get a lottery bill througn the House. of the John Locke Foundation, a Raleigh-based conserva tive think tank, said the lottery just enables big-government lawmakers to keep spending. Hood said lottery proponents have not calculated its impact “They either do not under stand the general finances of a lottery or are dishonest.” Hood said that the issue will be discussed but that he does not expect a lottery bill to pass. “There’s a fairly broad amount of support, but it’s not very deep. I think there’ll be a lot of talk about the lottery, but not a lot of action.” DEATH PENALTY LIKELY TO STAY The death penalty is coming under fire in several states across the nation - including most recently in Illinois - contributing to increased talk about state-initi- B\ Stephanie Jordan at f moratoriums Staff Writer 1° North Carolina, at least one state senator is working to ensure that a death penalty moratorium is addressed this session. Sen. Elbe Kinnaird, D-Orange, has sent a let ter to 14 state senators asking for co-sponsorship of a death penalty moratorium. A few legislators \ want anyone killed in my name.” Kinnaird also said that she thinks death penalty sentences are handed down at ran dom and that decisions are too often based on race and economics. But Sen. Virginia Foxx, R-Watauga, said she has faith in die criminal justice system. “There’s no reason to pass a moratorium and stop any executions,” she said. “If there’s a flaw in the system, the courts will order new trials.” David McFadyen, chairman of the N.C. Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section, said North Carolina’s death penalty statue is nationally recognized for its efficiency. He said that while there might be some dis cussion of the death penalty during this year’s session, the statute likely will remain untouched. “Moratoriums are found in states that have difficulties with their death penalty laws. Many believe that a moratorium in North Carolina would not be appropriate because there aren’t any problems.” Orange County Sen. Ellie Kinnaird said a death penalty moratorium will be one of her top priorities. BUDGET From Page 1 tures are not able to keep up with expen ditures." He said all state government agencies will be considered for cuts. One place to eliminate extra spending is allocations to various nonprofit groups, which totaled nearly S9OO million last year, said Sen. Austin Allran, R-Catawba, who was vice chairman of the Senate Lintm mu/\u utt uuc uj the most contentious in history e 4 TTzv f * / -Jr. £ kP* v . tL 1 v i I 1 lM: 1 mm?} Mj JF i ■L n 1# m jl fim it long ago,” he said, adding that if anything, the lottery is even less likely to pass this year. Meanwhile, propo nents of a lottery say it will remain as strong an issue as ever. Rep. Bill Owens, D- Pasquotank, said he plans to introduce a lottery bill on the first day of session. “We’re the only state on already have said they will give sponsorship serious consideration. Kinnaird would like to see the maximum sentence in the state permanently reduced from death penal ty to life without parole but said that for now a morato rium would be a victory. “I’m generally against the death penalty because of my religious convic tions,” she said. “I don’t Appropriations Committee last session. He said the state needs to scrutinize these causes to make sure they are worthy. Allran also listed the higher education system as a prime candidate for cuts. To account for expenditures in areas such as higher education, Easley recently discussed ways to increase state revenue and limit the amount of necessary cuts. He also will support a state lottery, which he has championed since his elec tion two years ago. N.C. General Assembly 2003 HOUSE DIVIDED Close party splits in both chambers could make the 2003 session one of the most contentious in history A POLITICAL TUG-OF-WAR T he duel for House speaker will command undivided attention when legislators convene the 145th session of the N.C. General Assembly at noon today. But once the smoke clears, the General Assembly will have some serious issues to tackle. Chief among them is crafting a budget while contending with a 52 billion deficit no easy task with one of the closest party divides either chamber has seen in history. Newly elected leaders will have to sweet-talk and negotiate their ways to party unity not only as they allocate state appropriations but also as they redraw legislative districts and work toward lofty educational goals. MARC basnight: Expected to lead the Senate for the sixth straight term TONY RAND: Basnight’s top ally expected to keep majority leader post PATRICK BALLANTINE: Wilmington senator will return as GOP leader UJ fee Z UJ CO UJ X b -28-22 Despite picking up seven seats in the 2002 election, the Republican Party will remain in the minority in the state Senate. The chamber is expected to be controlled for the sixth straight term by Democratic President Pro Tern Marc Basnight and several of his longtime allies. “Let’s face it - Gov. Easley cam paigned as an advocate of the lottery, and he won. He has a reason to advo cate for the lottery,” said Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC’s Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life. Easley also said recendy that his budget might maintain a one-half-cent sales tax increase and a higher tax rate on families with incomes over $200,000. Legislators said support is divided on tax issues. “There will be real pressure to let the GEORGE HOLMES: Nominated by the GOP < caucus for the speaker post 1 LEO DAUGHTRY: Failed to unite the GOP behind his speaker bid JIM BUCK: Democratic leader aims for third straight speakership -H X m X o c LO m 60-60 An unexpected party switch last week by Rep. Michael Decker erased the GOP’s one-seat majority in the chamber. Several Republicans have taken aim at the top post in the chamber, but friction within the party has opened the door for Democrat Jim Black to return for a third straight term as House speaker. sales tax sunset, but there will also be real pressure to keep it,” Allran said. He said it would be more honest to let the increase end with the fiscal year. But Rep. James Crawford, D-Granville, said keeping the one-half-cent tax increase is the most palatable option. Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, said expanding the sales tax to include ser vices could make enough revenue to allow the state to end this year’s increas es and still come out on top. UNC SYSTEM LIKELY TO FACE CUTS State legislators will tackle several key higher educa tion issues in the coming months, including whether they will leave a proposed tuition freeze intact, locate funds to rebuild UNC- BY MARGAUX ESCIJTIN Chapel Hill’s outdated cancer treatment Staff Writer center and leave universities’ overhead receipt funds untouched. At the top of the N.C. General Assembly’s higher education agenda is an examination of the UNC-system Board of Governors’ request to freeze tuition for the 2003-04 academic year. Sen. Virginia Foxx, R-Watauga, will not support the one-year freeze because she thinks students using the ser vices of the university L should pay for it. I “Tuition is a user fee.” Other legislators 1 have said that while I they hope to avoid hik -1 ing tuition, the state’s I budget deficit might l make doing so next 1 to impossible. 1 “I’d love not to raise tuition again this \ year," Rep. Joanne Bowie, R-Guilford, y said shortly after the BOG approved the freeze earlier this month. “But enrollment growth has been so great everywhere ... I just don’t know if we’re going to be able to do it” The state legislature also will consider the L system’s request that it automatically fund enrollment growth instead of examining it Jw on a case-by-case basis each year. IB Senate President Pro Tern Marc fH Basnight, D-Dare, and Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, have yH expressed support for such a move. W The UNC-Chapel Hill School of 9 Medicine also is asking legislators for increased funding to replace an existing cancer center with a VS'., \ modem clinic. /■V O Jeffrey Houpt, the j medical school’s ~ i "VSfSi, dean, said the JjSjragy school intends to push for t funding this session but foresees problems. Rounding out the key higher education issues is pro tection of the UNC system’s overhead receipts, which are funds granted for research but used as universities see fit Several efforts were made last session to withhold portions of the system’s overhead receipts, and Foxx still supports such a move. “The university will have to make a good case to justify overhead receipts. The way some of that money has been spent is not necessarily the wisest way.” DISTRICT LINES STILL AT ISSUE While the $2 billion budget deficit will loom large during this session, legislative redistricting will be equally contentious if the issue isn’t decided by the courts. Redrawing districts will be a major concern, said Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange. “The budget is of course critical, but which party wins the speakership will influence redistricting. One party will have the majority for years.” Controversial maps drawn by N.C. Superior Courtjudge Knox Jenkins were used for the 2002 elections. He redrew the maps after Republican officials sued the state, argu ing that the districts approved by the Democrat-controlled Senate and House were unconstitutional. The new maps helped Republicans pick up five seats in the House. Democrats maintained a majority in the Senate. Conflict over the maps was renewed earli er this month when the N.C. Attorney General’s Office refined its appeal, stating that Jenkins’ ruling was unconstitutional because it was based on his own ideology. Sen. Virginia Foxx, R-Watauga, said the appeal wastes money. “The seats the Republicans picked up have to do with the fair districts.” The court-drawn maps could be used only for the 2002 elections. If the state wins its appeal, the districts approved by the legisla ture will go into effect for 10 years. But if the state loses, legislators will be sent back to the drawing board. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, said there likely will be concern about redrawing dis tricts but that balancing the budget will remain a top priority. But Guillory said this modernization of the tax system is a long-term goal and not one that will be discussed seriously during the 2003 session. Battles among legislators might mean that Easley will have more influence on budget discussions this session, Guillory said. “He can bring some much-needed clarity to the situation." He said Easley might be the only one making headway on the budget for the next few months, as legislators wait until Wednesday, January 29, 2003 Senate leader Marc Basniqht in the past nas protected the system from more severe House-initiated budget cuts. By Laura Youngs Staff Writer Joe Hackney of Orange County could help lead the fight for district maps favorable to the Democratic Party. mm a* * after April to address the budget This will allow them to consider state income tax revenue while forming the new budget. Even then, Guillory said, the General Assembly likely will not make quick progress on the sl4 billion budget because of the close split between par ties. “This is not a legislature that is poised to act quickly on anything." The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. 5
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