A proposed state lottery will not go before voters in November. Lottery opponents in the House of Representatives on Tuesday used a procedural rule to block a committee from considering the bill. The bill needed to clear committee by Tuesday, and win final approval on Wednesday, in order to get before voters in November. The House of Representatives could not…
Montgomery State Senator Dick Brewbaker has resigned from the Senate Republican Caucus. Brewbaker tells Alabama News Network he resigned over the way the lottery proposals have been handled in the current special session of the legislature. He also says he doesn’t share the priorities of the caucus when it comes to the lottery. The Republican Caucus will still hold a supermajority in…
A lottery bill has quickly stalled in the Alabama Senate amid deep disagreements among lawmakers over gambling. Senators debated a lottery bill for several hours Wednesday before giving up and moving on to other bills. Gov. Robert Bentley brought lawmakers into special session to consider a lottery as a way to fund the state’s Medicaid program. The legislation faltered amid…
Lawmakers returned to the statehouse Monday for the special session called by Governor Robert Bentley. The House of Representatives elected Representative Mac McCutcheon as the new speaker of the house. McCutcheon says he is ready to start a new era. “I’m humbled in so many ways to have the support of my colleagues and to be able to take on…
A special session to decide the fate of a lottery in Alabama begins Monday. The topic of a lottery has divided the legislature for nearly two decades, after former Governor Don Siegelman tried and failed to implement the lotto. Governor Bentley called the special session to try to pass a bill that will allow Alabamians to vote on whether or…
Next week, lawmakers will return to Montgomery to begin a special session called to debate the creation of a state lottery. When they do, there’s one group of Alabama voters hoping that a lottery becomes reality. Today, representatives of the American Senior Alliance held a press conference in Montgomery to show their support for the creation of a state lottery….
State Auditor Jim Zeigler says he is worried about any lottery bill that could come from the special session. Zeigler, who is pushing for the impeachment of Governor Robert Bentley says he doesn’t want any of the governor’s supporters profiting from a state run lottery. Zeigler says he has already contacted the governor’s office about his concerns. The governor has proposed a…
Gov. Robert Bentley’s support of a referendum on a state lottery comes six years after he criticized gambling as a detriment to society. The governor has consistently supported the people’s right to vote on gambling. However, in his 2010 campaign said he opposed all gambling because it preyed upon those who could least afford to lose money. Asked about his…
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said he did not think a state lottery was the “perfect option” for funding government, but said it was the only one left. In an opinion piece submitted Wednesday to news outlets, Bentley expanded on his reasons for calling a special session on a state lottery. The governor, who is a dermatologist, said he could not…
Governor Bentley says he will call a special session of the Legislature to consider a constitutional amendment allowing a statewide lottery. He says he will travel the state first, to promote the legislation that would set up a vote by Alabama residents to amend the Alabama Constitution, which currently bans lotteries. Bentley says the lottery would solve Alabama’s funding problems,…
