During the 2024 session, State Rep. Andy Whitt (R-Harvest) has provided a detailed account of the state lawmakers’ failure to pass legislation legalizing gambling and lottery.
Last year, Alabama Speaker of the House, Nathaniel Ledbetter, tasked Whitt with examining gambling in the state, who currently chairs the Economic Development and Tourism Committee. On “Capitol Journal” of Alabama Public Television, Whitt expressed his disappointment with the way the process unfolded when legislators gathered earlier this year.
Whitt expressed his disappointment in the failure of the bill, which he had worked on for over 16 months. He believed that the House had a good deal, but the Senate had a different opinion and decided to water it down. Despite having faith in the Senate’s commitment to negotiations, the bill failed by a single vote in the end. Whitt emphasized that the House had good intentions and remained faithful in their negotiations with the Senate. However, the outcome was not what they had hoped for.
According to Whitt, external forces were able to use their power and resources to influence the end result in the Senate. As a result, the bill was not presented for a second vote following the initial attempt.
He said, “I have my suspicions, but I can’t tell you why. It’s clear that there are external forces involved. The disappointment is not just mine, but also of all the House members who voted for it and the senators who supported the bill.”
According to the lawmaker, the legislation presented a missed opportunity for the Yellowhammer State to reap its benefits.
He expressed his disappointment, saying that the citizens of Alabama are the ones who suffer the most. Denying them the right to vote on a bill proposing an education lottery has let them down yet again. The Senate had made some changes, but they had managed to bring it back to an education lottery in the conference report. Nonetheless, the failure to pass the legislation was a huge setback for the people of Alabama.
He added that the intention was for people to vote on the matter, and he firmly believes that they should have that opportunity. However, they have been let down, and it is unfortunate that they will have to wait another year to see if it will be brought up again.
According to Whitt, for the upcoming session, the Senate must take the lead in proposing the bill if there is any hope of it passing through the Legislature.
He argued that if there is any hope for it to pass, it must come from the Senate. He firmly believes in bringing it up in the Senate before bringing it back down to the House. The House has shown that they are willing to pass it, and the voters want and deserve it. They were left disappointed, and some senators are now hearing from their constituents about it.
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