MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives avoided voting on local legislation legalizing historical horse racing machines in Greene County to clear the body on Wednesday, after the bill's Senate sponsor spent hours railing against its lack of a vote.
In 1975, the Alabama Legislature adopted Act No. 376, known as the Racing Act, which created the Greene County Racing Commission and vested it with licensing and regulatory authority over pari-mutuel wagering on dog races.
Senate Bill 90 is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro), who spent the better part of Wednesday burning up time by filibustering in the Senate Chamber. The bill would allow pari-mutuel wagering on historical horse racing computerized machines in Greene County.
It would also prohibit the commission from issuing more than two mutual licenses and would rework the distribution of funds.
Singleton frequently mentioned the legislation as the cause of his hours-long filibustering, even bursting into song in protest that the bill did not come up for a vote in the House.
When the House neared the end of its special order calendar, State Rep. Curtis Travis (D-Tuscaloosa) asked to suspend the House rules for SB90 to come to the floor for a vote out of order.
What followed was lawmakers taking nearly two hours of debate discussing Travis's motion before ever getting to the bill itself. At the end of the two hours, Travis asked to recall his motion.
Some lawmakers, mainly Republicans, objected to the bill, claiming it was far from a true local bill and would have consequences for surrounding areas.
State Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), in particular, objected to SB90 being portrayed as a local bill.
"If you look at our rules, and most members may not have seen this, but look at Rule 39: a gaming bill in the House is considered a general bill," Clouse said. "It's not a local bill. It's a general bill of statewide significance."
Clouse was correct about House Rule 39, which reads:
"Any bill providing for or dealing with pari-mutuel betting, gambling, or games of chance, any bill providing for or dealing with an environmental issue, and any bill providing for or dealing with inter-county annexation shall also be treated as a general bill."
While not objecting to the bill itself, some balked at any Senate gambling measure after the House passed comprehensive gambling bills twice last year, ultimately dying due to insufficient support in the Senate.
House Democrats generally supported the bill but complained that the state had not undertaken a statewide solution to gaming.
"We need a way to allow those counties to do what they've been doing for years and years; generating revenue for the state of Alabama," said State Rep. Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee).
State Reps. Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City) and Andy Whitt (R-Harvest), the two lead sponsors of last year's gambling package, likewise recalled the perceived benefits of their vanquished efforts during the previous session.
"Unfortunately, that first bill we passed, it was a big beautiful bill," Blackshear said. "And over a billion dollars sunk that we'll never get back out of this state, we know that, that went out, and that was just off licensing fees. That has nothing to do with the jobs that it created."
"We would not have this patchwork; we would not have the troubles that we're having today, and we're going to continue to have these debates year after year, decade after decade until we pass a comprehensive gaming plan for Alabama," Whitt added later.
The House adjourned quickly after Travis withdrew his motion. Speaking to the press shortly after, Ledbetter answered a terse "no" when asked if the bill would return on the legislature's final day in one week.
"I gave a chance for Representative Travis to have a conversation about it, and I think that's what he wanted to do," Ledbetter said. "He was grateful that he had that chance, and unfortunately, our rules and the rules in the Senate aren't the same. Anything that's got to do with gaming, the House has got to be general and go on the House floor. That's just the way it is."
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