Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 26, 2005, edition 1 / Page 7
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afjr Sailg aor Iferf Fresh faces hit Raleigh BY ERIC JOHNSON ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR RALEIGH Before casting a single vote or introducing a single bill, freshman legislators might already have made their most last ing mark on the 2005-06 session of the N.C. General Assembly. First-term lawmakers generally wield little influence on an indi vidual basis, so the most important characteristic they bring to the leg islature at least in the short term is party affiliation. “(Freshmen) have the most impact in the beginning just in numbers, based on party registra tion,” said Sabra Faires, chief of staff to former House Co-speaker Richard Morgan. “The fact that there are X num ber of Democrats and X number of Republicans right now has more to do with what happens ... than any individual talents that they have.” Whether those individual talents are put to good use depends largely on committee assignments. For freshmen and veterans alike, the ability to influence specific poli Senators have hopes of victory for lottery BY MEGAN MCSWAIN ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR A lottery proposal will once again be brought before the N.C. General Assembly today as legislators con vene for the 2005-06 session. The bill which Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, plans to introduce would allow N.C. counties to place a public opinion poll about the lottery on the 2006 ballot. Counties that approve the lot tery would receive 25 percent of its revenue for local schools. The other 75 percent would go to other statewide educational needs such as scholarships, Owens said. He said this year’s lottery legis lation will be similar to the one he proposed last year, which required 25 counties to approve the lottery for any to get it. The education lottery has received support from Gov. Mike Easley both during his initial canv paign and after his re-election. And some believe the lottery will have a better chance this year than it has in the past. “I think in the Senate it would have a strong chance of passing,” said Amy Fulk, spokeswoman for Sen. President Pro Tern Marc Basnight, D-Dare. North Carolina is locked in by states with education lotteries: South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and, most recently, Tennessee. Many proponents say North Carolina is suffering from people crossing state lines to play the game. “When residents are already playing, wouldn’t it be better to keep the money here in our own state?” Fulk said. FREE PEER TUTORING TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENINGS FROM 6 TO 9 PM AT SECOND FLOOR OF DEY HALL Begins on February Ist1 st and 2 nd Peer tutors available on a drop-in basis first come, first served-to help in the following courses: Tuesdays, 6-9 pm starting Jan 27 Wednesdays, 6-9 pm starting Jan. 28 Spanish 1-4 Spanish 1-4 French 1-4 French 1-4 German 1-4, etc. German 1-4, etc. Russian Arabic 102 X Italian 1-4 Italian 1-4 Arabic 102 X Japanese 101 ft 102 X Psychology 10 Psychology 10 Geology 11 Math 10, 30, 31, 32, 33 Math 10, 30, 31, 32, 33 Econ 10, 101 Econ 10, 100, 101 Statistics 11 Statistics 31 Business 71 (Accounting) Business 71 (Accounting) Biology 11, and others Chemistry 11, 21, 41, 61, 62 Biology 11, 50 Philosophy 22 For additional help in physics, chemistry and math, try these free resources: The Math Help Center 224 Phillips 3:30-7:3opm M-Th The Chemistry Resource Center 225 Venable Hall 12:00-6:00pm M-Th The Physics Tutorial Center 210 Phillips Bam-6pm M-F (as tutors are available) See schedule on door for Phys 16, 24,25, 26, 27 Questions? Call 962-3782 Sponsored by the Peer Tutoring Program and UNO Learning Center cies depends on securing a place on the relevant committee. With electoral gains in both chambers, freshman Democrats have given their party firm control of the General Assembly. Asa result, it will be Democratic leaders making the ail-important committee assign ments that are key to building influ ence within the legislature. “(Committees) are where most of the work of the session gets done,” said Sen. Jim Forrester, an eight term Republican from Gaston and his party’s deputy leader. “If you’re interested in a par ticular area transportation or education or commerce you put it down and make it a priority,” Forrester said. “You’ll get to be an expert in that area after a while.” Some lawmakers come into the legislature with specialties, Faires said, which might give them an advantage in securing committee placement and gaining credibility. Rep. Laura Wiley, beginning her first term as a Republican from Guilford County, said freshmen can’t be shy about making their Owens said many people who had been opponents of the lottery before have indicated to him that they plan to support it this time around. But Sen. Richard Stevens, R- Wake, is not one of those legisla tors. “I just don’t think we need to fund government with gambling.” The John Locke Foundation also opposes a lottery because it believes gambling shouldn’t be run by the government. Roy Cordato, vice president for research, said the foundation is not against the legalization of gam bling, but against the government running a gambling operation. “We think people have the right to spend their money any way they please even stupidly on gam bling,” he said. The foundation recognizes the proposal will be for a public opin ion poll but is still against the bill because if the legislature places a public opinion poll on the ballot, they should do it consistently. “For example, whenever they want to raise taxes, put it on the ballot as a public opinion poll,” Cordato said. The survival of the lottery bill hinges on the debate over the bud get and taxes. Because if the state does not fund education through a lottery, it has to be done in another way, said Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC’s Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life. “The governor keeps asking a very important question. And that is, ‘lf not the lottery what?’” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. abilities known. “I think you have to present your case on why you would be an asset to a committee,” she said. “If you have experience, you have to let it be known.” Still, leaders from both parties said patience likely will be the most important skill for first-term lawmakers. “I think they need to start off working hard and understand that they don’t know everything when they get here, and they’re not going to change the world overnight,” said Sen. R.C. Soles Jr., the Democratic caucus chairman. Faires said it is fairly common for freshmen to bide their time before adopting a more outspoken voice in the legislature. “Freshman, as a whole, don’t stand up and talk on the floor a whole lot. It’s just like any place when you’re new, you don’t want to put your foot in your mouth right away,” she said. Despite initial reticence on the part of first-term legislators, Soles said, they seem to gain a more prom inent role with each new session. “When I began in 1969, it was kind of an unwritten rule that freshman legislators sat down and kept quiet and smiled a lot,” he said. “Now they’re expected and are allowed to participate fully. I don’t think they would allow themselves not to be able to participate fully.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. C ROOMMATE^ 1. Medium 1-Topping Pizza 2. Large Cheese Pizza PiM HeCUtyWafterS 3 Small 1 Topping till E. Main Street, Carrboro Pizzas 3. 2 Small Cheese Pizzas yJ)7 /a* l for 513.49 4. Breadstix, Cinnastix & a 20oz. drink i ’i v 9 S 5. 1 Small 1-Topping Pizza &a 20 oz. drink j | A i FREE CHEESY BREAD Ask about our I WHEN UNC BREAKS 100 POINTS! e CIOUS S e items! j Get a free bread sjde ( c j nnast j X/ cheesy bread) I with purchase of any size pizza the day after the UNC I basketball team scored more than 100 points the day before. , ■ Expires 4/30/05 (Delivery on campus only) * GETS THE ADRENALINE GOING. • YOURS AND WHOEVER READS ABOUT SIT ON YOUR RESUME. if' UK/ APPLY NOW FOR SUMMER LEADERSHIP INTERNSHIPS & ARMY OFFICER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES! For more information, contact UNC Army ROTC at morrisjs@email.unc.edu or 962-5546. News Officials must fill $1.28 hole BY KAVITA PILLAI ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR N.C. legislators are walking into anew session today carrying the burden of an estimated $1.2 billion budget deficit —and everything from education to public safety should brace for a hit. Even though Gov. Mike Easley and many legislators have vowed to keep education off the chopping block, the reality of the budget situ ation means that nothing is com pletely in the clear. “If we end up remaining in the billion-plus shortfall, I don’t think there’s any sacred cows out there that are safe,” said Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank. Education, human resources, jus tice and public safety make up more than 90 percent of the budget and will be among the areas hardest hit by cuts, Owens said. “Were going to have to cut services dramatically in education,” he said. Sen. Richard Stevens, R-Wake, said he hopes legislators continue to make education a top priority, but he admitted that a number of fac tors have contributed to what will be a difficult budget season. The state’s economy is still strug gling to recover, he said. In addition, sales- and income-tax hikes enacted four years ago are set to expire June 30, which would reduce revenues by about SSOO million. Also, the legis lature had one-time use money to work with last year money that will not be available this year. Growth in public schools, com- WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2005 munity colleges and the university system, as well as a need for state employee pay increases, are add ing to the problem, Stevens said. Moreover, counties will request that the state government take over their share of Medicaid costs now more than S4OO million. Owens said that a loss of manu facturing jobs in the textile and furniture industries and the fur ther downfall of other major N.C. industries originally contributed to the economic situation. But the recovery has not been as rapid as anticipated. “We’re recovering, but we’re not recovering as quickly as we did in past recessions,” he said. The legislature will not get to tackle the fiscal issues head-on until after Easley turns in his bud get requests, which could happen in February or March. The House and Senate alternate every two years the chance to examine the budget first. This year, the Senate will get the first crack. Despite fiscal restraints, Easley’s proposal likely will include an expansion of his More at Four pre kindergarten program. But as newer programs get the funding they need, legislators need to take a hard look at other, older state programs, Stevens said. “I think we need to take a com prehensive look at all state funding,” he said. “There are certainly some programs that have been around for a long time that have seen better times and might need to expire. “That requires discipline and effort and a lot of time by members of the General Assembly.” In addition to possibly extend ing sales taxes and income taxes to rein in the deficit, legislators are going to examine an increase in the cigarette tax, which is currently 5 cents per pack. Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, who supports the increase, said a higher tax would help alleviate some of the state’s health issues. North Carolina, he said, is simply behind the times with the nation's second lowest tobacco tax. Only Kentucky’s is lower, at 3 cents per pack. “It’s time we balanced that out,” Rand said. There also has been talk among legislators about an increase in the excise tax on beer and wine. Finally, the push for a lottery to fund education will go into high gear this session. Supporters say they are optimistic that the legisla tion will pass. Owens said he plans to introduce a bill today to put a public opinion poll before voters. Regardless of what measures the General Assembly enacts to bridge the gap, the fact of the matter is that there currently is not enough money to spare for new programs, not to mention existing ones. “The past two or three years, we’ve had to look under every rock for any extra money,” Owens said. “And all of that money has been exhausted.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. 7
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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