Even though nearly a week has passed since the Alabama Legislature adjourned sine die without getting a vote on a gambling bill in the House of Representatives, there are still some disappointed legislators questioning the lower chamber’s inability.
Among those is State Sen. Del Marsh (R-Anniston), who early on took the lead on a so-called comprehensive gaming bill for the 2021 legislative session.
During an interview that aired on this week’s broadcast of Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” Marsh dismissed claims from House leadership that lack of time was the reason for the House’s inability to act.
“They had plenty of time to work on it,” he said. “That’s a poor excuse. I’m not going to defend anybody. I mean, the there was there. Attempts were made to work with the Governor’s office and the House. There was just not the desire there to get it done, bottom line. And it’s not the first time, in my opinion, the House has failed.”
“The prison issue is another one,” Marsh added. “The Senate passed two prison bills. The House didn’t get it done. The Governor had taken it upon herself to try to get it done. And that’s a question now as to whether it will get done.”
Marsh insisted the comprehensive approach was still the way to proceed on the gambling issue.
“I think if you’re going to get a piece of legislation that will pass the legislature and get to the people, it will have to be a comprehensive bill,” he said.
When asked by host Don Dailey if, as some have suggested, the House may have been more receptive to a lottery-only plan, Marsh questioned why the House did not take that approach but argued the best approach was still a comprehensive one.
“Why didn’t they do it?” he replied. “They had the bill. If they wanted to change it, make it a simple lottery, send it back upstairs, they could have done that. They didn’t do it. They didn’t act on it. That’s the job of the legislature — to make pieces of legislation, change them to get them out of your body. It didn’t happen.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
