MONTGOMERY – The Alabama House of Representatives passed a motion of nonconcurrence Thursday on the Senate’s gaming substitute and will send the legislation to conference committee.
“From the very beginning, we had three key goals with the House’s comprehensive legislation,” said House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville). “Those included eliminating illegal gaming operations in the state of Alabama, developing a framework for the taxation and regulation of facilities that obtain licenses through an open-bid process and establishing a lottery that benefits education and education only.
“If one thing has been made clear throughout this process, it’s that the people of Alabama want and deserve an opportunity to vote on this issue. I am hopeful that members of the House and Senate are successful in finding a compromise that positions them to do just that.”
House conferees will be Reps. Andy Whitt (R-Madison), Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City) and Sam Jones (D-Mobile).
“More than 14 months went into crafting this package – the first comprehensive gaming plan to ever pass in the Alabama House of Representatives. We were thoughtful in our approach to addressing every aspect of this issue, and I truly feel that the House’s final product is what the people want to vote on,” said Blackshear who sponsored HB151 and HB152. “I have serious concerns with the Senate’s substitute legislation. It rewards those who have operated illegally for decades by handing them licenses without an open-bid process, utilizes lottery revenue to fund non-education expenses and fails to adequately regulate sports wagering, which is one of the most prevalent forms of illegal gaming in the state of Alabama.”
Whitt, who chaired the House Gaming Study Group, highlighted some of the significant fiscal differences between the House and Senate Legislation.
“At an estimated $1.2 billion annually, the House’s legislation creates so many opportunities for our state,” said Whitt. “The lottery revenue alone would make attending community college for thousands of Alabama’s students possible and bolster school safety in our K-12 schools.
“Simply put, the Senate plan leaves some $800 million on the table, and I hope to find a solution to this in conference.”
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