Leaders in the General Assembly on Tuesday folded their cards when it came to sections on casinos and video gambling terminals.
The two sections of the budget bills were axed after Senate and House leadership said they did not think the overall bill could be passed due to concerns by both Republicans and some Democrats.
While Republicans have a veto-proof majority in both houses, a sufficient number of Republican representatives were against the casino proposal to have made its passage unlikely.
Two provisions in the biennial state budget bill caused some legislators to hit the brakes. One would have allowed videogaming terminals in bars, restaurants and other businesses. The terminals, with few exceptions, are illegal in North Carolina.
The second, and more controversial provision would have allowed four new casinos in the state, owned by Native American tribes. The Lumbee tribe was added to the last version of the proposal.
Columbus County was one of the areas that qualified for the construction of a casino owned and operated by the Lumbees. Developers of the casinos would have been required to pay more than 22 percent excise tax on revenues – not profits – and pay millions to the state for the opportunity to apply for a license.
The casino issue made for an unlikely, albeit temporary, alliance between Gov. Roy Cooper and a number of conservatives who opposed the casinos.
Cooper opposed the casino bill being tied to the budget since failure to pass the budget would kill Medicaid Expansion.
“The Republican supermajority is breaking their promise to expand Medicaid and instead are using it to extort a shady, sole source casino deal that many of their own members find suspicious. Democratic legislators are rightfully disgusted and strongly oppose this scheme.”
Medicaid expansion is included in the new budget. The plan could allow hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians to qualify for more assistance on health insurance.
The budget bill also includes sweeping changes for school choice in the state, reducing regulations for charter schools and allowing more parents to remove their children from underperforming public schools. Both sides of the legislature are in solid agreement on the education reform bill, which Cooper also opposes.
A final vote on the $30 billion budget could occur this week.
