Last week's failed "test" vote on a gambling package that included a constitutional amendment and so-called enabling legislation shocked many after it sailed through the Alabama House of Representatives by a wide margin earlier in the day.
However, a month earlier, State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine), who previously voted "yes" but was a "no" vote on the conference committee report, speculated about such an outcome if the conference committee took a Senate-passed version of the bill and added anything to it.
"Well, I mean, why bother?" he said during an April 5 appearance on Mobile radio's FM Talk 106.5 about the conference committee appointment. "I mean, the House knew — the House sponsor and leadership knew the Senate has gone as far as the Senate can go on this bill. And, you know, it barely got the votes necessary to pass it. I've read the press from yesterday and comments from the sponsor, from the conferees, all of the conferees, and all of them say, you know, we want Medicaid expansion, we want the date moved, we want, you know, more money, you know, widespread casinos and sports betting. Any one of those will absolutely kill the bill. So, I mean, the House's actions yesterday essentially killed the people's ability to vote on a clean lottery and to get control over the illegal gambling in the state of Alabama, which were two of the big things that they wanted."
"I don't understand why they did not try to vote to, you know, concur," Elliott continued. "In talking with a bunch of my House colleagues that voted 'no' on the House version of the gaming bill, they liked the Senate version and were prepared to vote 'yes' and vote concurrence. And listen, if they had done that yesterday, we could be talking about, you know, the people having the ability to vote on a lottery in September. It'd be a done deal."
"And as it stands now, I think it's a done deal," he added. "I just think it's done as in, you know, one more time that the Senate has sent a bill to the House that deals with this issue, and it won't get handled yet again. This is the third time, Jeff, we've dealt with this. And here we are yet again."
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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