Electronic bingo opponents in the Alabama House and Senate held off two bills seeking to expand gambling in the state.
In the House, Rep. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, attempted to revive House Bill 577 April 16 but came up one vote shy of succeeding.
The bill would have authorized high-stakes, fast-paced electronic “bingo for profit” gambling at the Birmingham and Mobile racetracks. It also would have required operators to designate 20 percent of gross revenues, an estimated $55 million annually, for the Alabama Medicaid program.
Hoping to find more supporters, Black pulled his bill from the calendar before spring break, but he and gambling magnate Milton McGregor had been lobbying for the bill over the past few weeks.
On April 15, Dan Ireland, executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP), said he counted “18 full-time, big-money lobbyists for gambling on the fifth floor down the main hallway to the House chamber. Thank God we had enough good, decent statesmen to, by their vote, prevent the bill coming up for discussion.”
Nevertheless Ireland believes the battle is far from over. “We rejoice but we have to be sensitive to the fact that they can push to get the bill back,” he said. “We are very watchful about all of this, and that’s the only way you can meet the challenge.”
Meanwhile Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, led a successful fight in the Senate against the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 191, which sought to protect the electronic gambling machines in Macon County from ever being confiscated. Erwin said one location in Macon County has about 3,600 machines, which generate around $197 million each year.
“This is a very ominous bill,” said Erwin, a member of Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham. “The machines bring in big bucks, and the gamblers in Macon County fear that the courts may one day rule statewide that those machines are illegal and must be confiscated. If they get this bill passed, they will never have to worry about that because the constitution would protect them from ever being confiscated and that’s intolerable. We always say no man is above the law. This would put a county above the law and that is not right.”
Despite Erwin’s efforts, April 18, the Senate accepted a substitute bill. He expects a “showdown” on whether to pass the bill April 22 when the Senate reconvenes. Sens. J.T. “Jabo” Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills; Ben Brooks, R-Mobile; Steve French, R-Birmingham; Jimmy W. Holley, D-Elba; and Tom Butler, D-Madison, have been assisting him with the filibuster.
“I’m going to try one last round of debate to try to talk sense into the members to vote down this bill because of the consequences,” Erwin said, adding his group will push for the vote on the bill April 22 and “then we will pray that we can stop it.” According to him, the bill can be defeated if “the Republicans will stand firm for the families.”
“We need to have everybody pray, and we will look to the Lord for victory,” he said.
While gambling opponents celebrated victories at the Statehouse, those in Houston County faced another blow to their efforts when Sen. Harri Anne Smith, R-Slocomb, withdrew SB 572, which would have limited electronic bingo gambling in the county to paper games.
Just two weeks prior, Smith introduced the bill, which, if passed, would have allowed Houston County residents to vote on the matter.
Around the same time, the Dothan Eagle reported that Rep. Benjamin Lewis, R-Dothan, said “he would not attempt to move his bingo bill out of the local legislation committee in the House.”
“While I support the Country Crossing development, which will bring thousands of jobs to our community, I still have reservations about the gambling aspect of the project,” his statement read. “I believe this will open the door for casinos to be built in Houston County. … I stand by my decision to introduce HB 819; however, due to recent events, the legislation is effectively dead.”
Like Smith’s bill, Lewis’ companion bill would have put the issue in the hands of the people.
But Ireland said all this happened late in the session. It was a good effort, he said, “but with the time element and what’s happening with other bingo bills right now, it was not likely that it [would] ever pass either in the House or the Senate.”
Ireland noted the strength of the gambling crowd in the Legislature. He pointed out that HB 577 fell only one vote short of the required three-fifths majority necessary for passage.
The ALCAP executive said he was thankful enough legislators still oppose gambling to prevent the evil from expanding in the state.
Those voting against expanding gambling in Alabama (against HB 577) were:
Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa; Alan Baker, R-Brewton; Mike Ball, R-Huntsville; Robert Bentley, R-Tuscaloosa; Greg Canfield, R-Birmingham; Steve Clouse, R-Ozark; Spencer Collier, R-Irvington; Randy Davis, R-Daphne; Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood; Owen Drake, R-Leeds; Bill J. Dukes, D-Decatur; James C. Fields Jr., D-Hanceville; Chad Fincher, R-Semmes; Blaine Galliher, R-Gadsden; Victor Gaston, R-Mobile; Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill; Mike Hill, R-Columbiana; Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn; Steve Hurst, D-Munford; Ronald G. Johnson, R-Sylacauga; Benjamin Lewis, R-Dothan; Jay Love, R-Montgomery; Barry Mask, R-Wetumpka; Jim McClendon, R-Springville; Mary Sue McClurkin, R-Pelham; W.F. “Frank” McDaniel, D-Albertville; Jeffrey McLaughlin, D-Guntersville; Stephen A. McMillan, R-Bay Minette; Michael J. Millican, D-Hamilton; Charles O. Newton, D-Greenville; Arthur Payne, R-Trussville; Howard Sanderford, R-Huntsville; Tommy Sherer, D-Jasper; William E. Thigpen Sr., D-Fayette; Elwyn Thomas, R-Oneonta; Allen Treadaway, R-Morris; Cam Ward, R-Pelham; Randy Wood, R-Anniston; and Greg Wren, R-Montgomery.
Those voting to expand gambling were:
Locy “Sonny” Baker, D-Abbeville; George C. Bandy, D-Opelika; Jim Barton, R-Mobile; Billy Beasley, D-Clayton; Warren Beck, R-Geneva; Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia; Alan C. Boothe, D-Troy; Barbara B. Boyd, D-Anniston; James E. Buskey, D-Mobile; Priscilla Dunn, D-Bessemer; Christopher John England, D-Tuscaloosa; Joe Faust, R-Fairhope; Lea Fite, D-Anniston; Craig Ford, D-Gadsden; H. Mac Gipson Jr., R-Prattville; James O. Gordon, D-Mobile; Betty Carol Graham, D-Alexander City; Ronald Grantland, D-Hartselle; Todd Greeson, R-Ider; David Grimes, R-Montgomery; Laura Hall, D-Huntsville; Seth Hammett, D-Andalusia; Micky Hammon, R-Decatur; Alan Harper, D-Aliceville; Earl Hilliard Jr., D-Birmingham; Alvin A. Holmes, D-Montgomery; Ralph Howard, D-Greensboro; Tammy Irons, D-Florence; Jamie Ison, R-Mobile; Thomas E. Jackson, D-Thomasville; Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill; Yvonne Kennedy, D-Mobile; John F. Knight Jr., D-Montgomery; John J. “Jody” Letson, D-Moulton; Richard J. Lindsey, D-Centre; James M. “Jimmy” Martin, D-Clanton; A.J. McCampbell, D-Demopolis; Joseph C. Mitchell, D-Mobile; Mary Moore, D-Birmingham; Johnny Mack Morrow, D-Red Bay; Demetrius C. Newton, D-Birmingham; Jeremy H. Oden, R-Vinemont; John G. “Jack” Page III, D-Gadsden; John Robinson, D-Scottsboro; Oliver Robinson, D-Birmingham; John W. Rogers Jr., D-Birmingham; Yusuf Salaam, D-Selma; Sue Schmitz, D-Toney; Roderick Hampton Scott, D-Fairfield; Harry Shiver, R-Bay Minette; Terry Spicer, D-Elba; Butch Taylor, D-New Hope; James L. Thomas, D-Camden; Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham; Lesley Vance, D-Phenix City; Pebblin Warren, D-Montgomery; and Henry A. White, D-Athens.
The following either passed on voting or were not present:
Duwayne Bridges, R-Valley; Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham; Mike Curtis, D-Florence; Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville; Richard J. Laird, D-Roanoke; Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery; Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville; Pat Moore, R-Pleasant Grove; and Jack Williams, R-Birmingham.
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