N.C. Democrats tried to sneak lottery in 'the back door'

Lottery Post — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 14:32:37 GMT

North Carolina Senate Democrats saw an opening early Wednesday they say would have allowed them to pass a lottery bill and give Gov. Mike Easley a big political victory.But they didn't walk all the way through.Here's what happened: Senate Democrats contended that Sen. Hamilton Horton, R-Forsyth, did not properly request a leave of absence to miss the session Wednesday.The leave is necessary to allow an absent member to pair up with a colleague who is present and would vote differently on a bill.... [ More ]