Alabama Lawmakers Propose Vote on State Lottery
State Senator Jim McClendon, a Republican from Springville, has proposed a bill that would allow Alabamians to vote on whether or not they want a state lottery.
McClendon said Tuesday he had been spurred to action by people in his district.
“Everywhere I go, people are saying, ‘We’ve got our tickets’ or ‘We’re on the way,’,” McClendon said in a press conference at the State House in Montgomery. “They are driving to surrounding states. They are leaving our money, and they cannot understand why Alabama does not offer what 44 states in America offer.”
McClendon says his bill is simple. If passed, it would allow Alabamians to vote — yes or no — on a constitutional amendment that would set up a state lottery. McClendon’s proposal does not mention how or where the money from the lottery would be used.
House Minority Leader Craig Ford, a Gadsden Democrat, also filed a bill in support of the lottery. His bill would send the proceeds to fund scholarships at state colleges.
In the past, Alabama voters and lawmakers have rejected attempts to green light a lottery.
McClendon said he was not prompted to action by Wednesday’s $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.
A proposed Bessemer data center faces new hurdles: a ‘road to nowhere’ and the Birmingham darter
With the City Council in Bessemer scheduled to vote Tuesday on a “hyperscale” data center, challenges from an environmental group and the Alabama Department of Transportation present potential obstacles for the wildly unpopular project.
Birmingham Museum of Art’s silver exhibit tells a dazzling global story
Silver and Ceremony is made up of more than 150 suites of silver, sourced from India, and some of their designs.
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
