N.C.'s legislative leaders to move quickly on lottery

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black said Wednesday that the House will act within the first two weeks of the upcoming legislative session on the lottery. <br> <br> Black, a Democrat from Mecklenburg, said he is not sure whether the proposal taken up would simply put a lottery in place or include an advisory referendum to allow voters to tell lawmakers whether they want the game. <br> <br> Black said, ``We need to know whether that money is going to be there. Like the governor said, if it&#39;s not the lottery, what it&#39;s going to be?&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Senate Leader Marc Basnight, a Democrat from Dare, didn&#39;t rule out including the lottery as a provision within the Senate budget. <br> <br> A proposed state budget sent Tuesday by Governor Mike Easley to legislators included $250 million in lottery proceeds. <br> <br> Easley said lawmakers, faced with the worst budget crisis in decades, will either have to approve a lottery, pass a tax increase or make additional cuts to education. <br> <br> He has vowed to veto any budget that hurts classroom spending. <br> <br> Black has long been a lottery opponent, but says it may no longer make sense to stand in the way of a vote.