The House of Representatives typically spends very little time debating the “blessed” gambling bill for the year.
But then when those bills don’t pass the Senate, it is the House members who take the heat from constituents.
So House members decided that would not be the case during this year’s session because 2010 is an election year.
They refused to vote on this year’s main bill — House Bill (HB) 507, sponsored by Rep. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, and Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery — until senators could come to an agreement on their bill.
Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, D-Red Bay, chairs the House Tourism and Travel Committee. He typically helps gambling bills move out of committee smoothly and easily “because this issue is too important for 15 people to decide.”
But this year he held the vote until the companion bill — Senate Bill (SB) 380, sponsored by Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville — passed.
And so Bedford got to work.
The first attempt failed, but after a revision, it passed without even being read by everyone who voted.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, chairman of the Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee, said he wanted this bill passed quickly.
He and others were willing to pass it out of committee without seeing the final version, noting they would hammer out the details in debate.
The bill would have legalized slot machines at VictoryLand in Macon County, Greenetrack in Greene County, Country Crossing in Houston County, the Birmingham Race Course, the Mobile Greyhound Park, two locations in White Hall in Lowndes County, one additional location in Jefferson County and two yet-to-be-announced locations in north Alabama.
The bill became a hotly debated topic throughout the legislative session but did not have enough votes to pass the House, so Black chose to pull the bill instead of letting a vote take place.
During the session, representatives from the areas impacted by the bill fought and promised to continue fighting for legalized gambling in their areas.
Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee Institute, asked that legislators and others not in counties with casino gambling options to let the ones “of us who are” handle this legislation.
Black, the bill sponsor, happened to be one of the legislators not in an area lobbying for gambling.
Rep. James Thomas, D-Selma, said he was tired of people preaching to him.
“I’m not championing either side, but somebody’s got to do something,” he said. “Don’t preach to me. I’ll take my chances before the almighty God.”
Thomas has fought for and protected the White Hall electronic gambling facility for several years.
Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Linden, said, “It’s gambling and it’s paying. … I’ll fight you for it.”
McCampbell represents Greene County, where Greenetrack is. (TAB)
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