Lottery bill

Members of the state Senate debate amendments to a lottery bill backed by Gov. Robert Bentley on Friday. (Connor Sheets/al.com)

The Alabama Senate on Friday passed a lottery bill proposed by Gov. Robert Bentley, capping off the first week of a special session called by the governor. The bill, which was amended substantially before the vote, will now go on to the House of Representatives.

Passed by a voting margin of 21-12, the bill sends a proposed constitutional amendment establishing a state lottery before voters for their approval in November.

The initial bill would have seen all lottery revenue go to the general fund. But amendments to the bill approved by the Senate on Friday diverted millions of dollars in anticipated revenue to the Education Trust Fund and Medicaid.

The bill's passage caps off a contentious period of debate over how best to shore up the state's general fund.

The bill was approved one day after the Senate effectively blocked another, more complex lottery bill sponsored by state Sen. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, that also touched on contentious issues like electronic lottery terminals at race tracks.

As Bentley's bill was originally written, all lottery revenues would have gone to the state's general fund. But the chamber voted by a margin of 22-7 to approve a last-minute amendment proposed Friday night by Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed, R-Jasper, to designate 10 percent of potential lottery revenues to the Education Trust Fund.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said he would only vote for the lottery bill if the Senate approved an amendment he proposed that would dedicate $100 million of lottery revenue each year after expenses to Medicaid. The amendment passed by a 25-4 vote, with one abstention.

The amendment was one of many proposed by a series of senators Friday.

Before Reed's amendment passed, State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, R-Madison, proposed two amendments to the bill that would have directed 40 and 30 percent, respectively of the lottery revenue to the Education Trust Fund.

"A significant portion of the senate district I represent would like to be able to vote on a clean lottery bill, which I think the governor's lottery bill that we've seen is about as clean a lottery bill as we've seen," he said. But he said that he has heard from many constituents that "they want some of the funding from the lottery to go to education," or else they will not vote to support a lottery.

Both amendments ultimately were shot down by margins of at least 20 votes, as a number of concerns were raised, including that the general fund is more in need of shoring up than the education fund.

Reed proposed two other amendments that were not approved. One would have made it so that counties that do not vote to approve a pro-lottery constitutional amendment would not have to sell lottery tickets.

"My intention, as I've stated, is to give more opportunity and control to folks in different communities," Reed said.

But Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, argued against the amendment on grounds including the concept that it would cause infighting between counties across the state.

"You're talking about putting something in the Constitution that will divide Alabama's 67 counties," Dial said.