Three Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor will meet.

Winston-Salem City Councilman Dan Besse, attorney Hampton Dellinger and Canton Mayor Pat Smathers will be in a forum Saturday at the annual meeting of the Progressive Democrats of North Carolina.

State Sen. Walter Dalton is not expected to attend.

The meeting will be held at 106 Purefoy Road in Chapel Hill. It also will feature a panel discussion with representatives of N.C. Voters for Clean Elections, People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, the N.C. Housing Coalition and Clean Water North Carolina.

Keynote speakers will be the Rev. William J. Barber, president of the state NAACP, and Marisol Jimenez-McGee, advocacy director for El Pueblo.

After the candidate forum, members of the Progressive Democrats will decide whether to endorse a candidate for lieutenant governor.

A House bill would tax money wire transfers made by illegal immigrants.

Rep. George Cleveland, a Jacksonville Republican who sponsored the bill, said it would be a way to counter the millions of dollars sent to family in other countries by undocumented workers.

But opponents said the bill was unworkable and would open the door to discrimination.

Marisol Jimenez McGee, a lobbyist for El Pueblo, said illegal immigrants already pay sales tax and payroll tax on their earnings.

An attorney for the N.C. Retail Merchants Association said store owners would be forced to require identification of every single wire transfer to avoid lawsuits. Cleveland dismissed the idea:

"If a fella comes in with a pair of shaggy boots on, jeans and a T-shirt, and he's got a straw hat on -- I mean, come on, give me a break." (AP)

The bill remains in a House committee.