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Any idea how Pricey Harrison voted?

Um, duh! Nevermind.

Here is the recap by Tom Campbell of NC Spin:

NC Senate passes lottery bill

Despite last minute attempts to postpone a vote the Senate of North Carolina passed HB 1023, sending to Governor Easley the lottery bill he has so long wanted. Opponents of the bill objected to the suspension of Senate rules, decried the promise made by leadership that the work of the Senate for the session was finished and claimed the Senate was "sneaking" the bill past the Senate into law. Senator Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), an opponent said the Senate, like much of the state, has "lottery fever."

Berger stated that the facts prove that a person who spent $50 per week on the lottery would win once every 6, 193 years, according to the numerical odds. He further stated that the claims that this was an "education lottery," was inaccurate and that the real education would come in 10 years when residents learned that the claims of increased funding for education was really just a diversion.

Senator Fred Smith (R-Johnston) asked the Senate if the ends justified the means? He asked if the desire for money was that important over doing the right thing? Smith, sounding like a candidate for future office, repeated that Senate leadership had promised that the business of the Senate was complete for this year. He said that the real costs of the lottery will far outweigh the perceived gains, reporting that Virginia, with a mature lottery, only gets $300 million in proceeds from the games. Smith concluded that if the Senate passed the bill he was going to "go home, take long bath, and use lots of soap."

The vote was held despite an illness of Senator John Garwood, a honeymoon trip of Senator Harry Brown, and an absence of Senator Dan Clodfelter. Proponents of the lottery knew that the absence of these three would ensure the passage of the measure.

Vote on the lottery bill was 24 in favor and 24 opposed, with Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue breaking the tie and voting in favor of the lottery.

For more information read this week's SPINCycle newsletter and tune it to this week's NC SPIN program

Correction from NC Spin:

Please note a correction to our story earlier today. We sent the e-mail regarding the Senate vote on the lottery before the votes were posted. Senator Clodfelter was indeed present and voted against the lottery. We apologize to the good Senator for the mistake

Um...okay Carolyn...thanks and thanks.

Roch: Pricey voted against the lottery when the Hosue did it back in April.

Locally: Sens. Hagan and Dorsett voted for the bill. Sens. Berger, Bingham, Tillman and Webster voted against.