Alabama House passed modified lottery bill

The Alabama House of Representatives approved the Governor’s proposed state lottery after several hours of debate.

US.- Earlier this week, the Alabama House of Representatives blocked a committee meeting that was necessary for the proposal to get on the ballot, and after a special session, the bill passed shortly on a 64-35 vote, exceeding the 63 votes it needed to pass the chamber. If lawmakers and voters approve the idea, Alabama would become the 45th state with a lottery.

The bill returns to the Senate where lawmakers need to decide whether to go along with the minor changes to the legislation. Alabama’s Governor, Robert Bentley, is trying to put an end on the state’s historic opposition to gambling as a revenue source, as he proposed lottery as a way to provide money to the state’s Medicaid program.

The House has changed the bill that passed the Senate, and the two chambers will have to reconcile the differences. If the bill clears the Legislature, voters would finally have a say on the proposed amendment. Secretary of State John Merrill said that he thinks it’s too late to get the proposal on the ballot for the November 8 general election. Whilst not necessarily an indication of the bill’s support, the votes kept the process on track.

Governor Bentley said: ”We came out with a victory from the House. Not us, but a victory for the people of this state, this is about them. The lottery is just part of that process and is only a way that we can have money to fund the essential services of this state, particularly Medicaid.” If the proposal doesn’t make it on the November ballot, it would require a special election or it would move to the 2018 general election.