MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Lottery legislation heads to the House of Representatives as lawmakers weigh ending Alabama’s status as one of six states without a state lottery.
The bill backed by Gov. Robert Bentley would put the idea of creating a state lottery to the first public vote since 1999 when voters rejected the measure. The Alabama Senate narrowly approved the bill Friday after a number of amendments.
“I hope they feel like the Senate does: That the people of Alabama have the right to make the ultimate decision on having a lottery in Alabama,” Sen. Jim McClendon, the bill’s sponsor, said of House members.
The lottery proposal is the centerpiece of a special session called by Bentley to find ways to get more funding to the state’s perpetually cash-strapped Medicaid program. The proposal would steer proceeds from a state lottery to the general fund, earmarking the first $100 million in profits to Medicaid. Legislators are also considering a separate bill that would divide the state’s oil spill settlement funds, a proposal that could help next year’s Medicaid budget.
Here’s what to look for when Alabama legislators return to Montgomery on Tuesday:
THE LEVEL OF HOUSE OPPOSITION
While Senate passage was major victory for Bentley, the bill still faces significant hurdles.
Lottery opponents will try to stop the bill when it hits the House of Representatives next week.
“We are going to hope and pray that good men and women will stand up and stand up against the lottery,” said Republican Rep. Rich Wingo of Tuscaloosa.
Other lawmakers said opposition has diminished since voters rejected a lottery in 1999. Lawmakers return to Montgomery on Tuesday. The long weekend will give lawmakers, particularly those from conservative districts, time to test the view of constituents.
The bill first goes to the House of Development and Tourism Committee. If approved there, it could move to the full House as soon as Wednesday.
Three-fifths of lawmakers must approve the proposed constitutional amendment. If representatives alter the bill, it will have to go back to the Alabama Senate and could end up in a conference committee.
MISSING EDUCATION FUNDING
Senators on Friday said they wanted to steer 10 percent of lottery proceeds to education programs, but that provision appears to have been deleted by a later amendment.
Senators voted 22-7 for an amendment by Sen. Greg Reed, R-Jasper, directing 10 percent of lottery proceeds to education. The change was made to the bill after several senators said that’s how their constituents preferred lottery profits to be used.
However, a later amendment to guarantee that Medicaid would receive the first $100 million of lottery profits rewrote that page of the bill and appeared to remove the reference to education funding, according to the engrossed version of the bill.
Reed said he believes it was unintentional mistake. “It was the intent of the Senate for that to be included,” Reed said.
A TICKING CLOCK
Lawmakers must give final approval to the lottery bill by Wednesday if they want the proposal before voters during the Nov. 8 presidential election.
Legislators return to Montgomery on Tuesday, leaving them two days to meet that deadline. It will also allow only one day’s debate on the floor of the House.
Bentley said he is fine with holding a special election later in the year if lawmakers don’t meet that deadline. A special election would most likely be held sometime after Christmas, the governor said.
Some lawmakers have suggested the November date for an election because of the large voter turnout it will bring. However, the bill’s sponsor said some Republicans in Jefferson County wanted it on another date, fearing a negative impact on partisan races.
The governor said he initially thought about holding the election in January.
A BATTLE OVER BP FUNDING/MEDICAID
The other divisive issue of the session will be before senators next week: a proposal for using oil spill settlement dollars to pay state debts and build roads.
The bill, which has already cleared the House, is being eyed as a way to fill an $85 million hole in next year’s Medicaid budget, but only if Alabama lawmakers can reach an agreement.
Under the House-passed bill, the state would take a smaller amount up front – a projected $640 million – by doing a bond issue. About $450 million would be used for debt repayment and $191 million for road projects in coastal counties. Paying debt early would free up an additional $70 million for Medicaid.
The proposal has pitted lawmakers from south Alabama against legislators from other parts of the state in a battle over how to use the funds.
Sen. Arthur Orr and Sen. Paul Sanford said they will push to amend the bill to direct more money to help Medicaid.
Orr said the settlement funds were for Alabama’s collective damages from the spill and should help the entire state. He said coastal counties received their own settlement funds.
Sen. Bill Hightower of Mobile said south Alabama suffered the most damage from the spill. He said lawmakers from there do not want to accept anything less than the $191 million for roads.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
