Substitute for SB380
FROM THE DESK OF
Senator Paul Sanford
Press Release
March 3, 2010
CONTACT: (334) 242-7800
Senator Paul Sanford Desires to Move
Bingo Debate in a New, Honest Direction
(MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA)—Senator Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville) had been working with both sides of the electronic bingo issue (SB380) to try and clean up the bill before it came up for debate in the state senate. After a few attempts to reconcile the differences of both sides, Sen. Sanford’s desired concessions were not met. Within the next day or two he will be releasing a new bill drafted by the Legislative Reference Service that will shrink the size of the constitutional amendment and simplify the issue to a basic up or down vote of the people in November.
“I desire nothing more than to move the ‘bingo’ debate in a new, honest direction – one that is more simplistic, straight-forward, and transparent. It has bogged down the Legislature for years, and it is time to put this issue to rest and move on with the other pressing business in Alabama, like getting our economy back on track,” Senator Sanford said. “We all realize this subject has been a ‘grey’ area of the law, but it’s time for the voters to turn grey into either black or white with a bill that is not dripping in special interest tinkering,” he continued.
Senator Sanford said the original Senate Bill 380 and subsequent substitutions, none of which were released for official debate, were too “stuck in the mud” with unfair special treatment for a select few. His bill, which will be released on his websites (senatorsanford.com and sanfordforsenate.com), pairs down the debate to a straight up or down vote of the people. The bill will also at least do the following: Refer to the current machines in use as “slot machines” instead of “bingo”; legalize, tax and regulate slot machine casinos in a few pages instead of the current 48-page constitutional amendment full of fine print that nobody reads or understands; place casino licenses up for bid so the taxpayers, instead of casino bosses, get the best deal add prohibitions of campaign contributions from the gambling interest to those who appoint the Gaming Commission and to the Legislature ; and establish a minimum tax rate of 50% to make sure we’re not “giving away the store”. “I ask that all current supporters of SB380 join me in support of my new bill, because, its is, in its simplest form, accomplishing the same basic tenet of placing this issue before the people for a vote,” said Sen. Sanford. “That is the argument that supporters of the current bill are using in their PR campaign, paid advertising, and discussions with undecided legislators. So why would anyone who supports SB380 not join me in my more basic and straight-forward bill that meets the same goal?” he continued.
Senator Sanford said his tracking of correspondence from constituents is running eighty percent to twenty percent in favor of putting the issue to a vote of the people so long as the bill is not putting the power in the hands of a few monopolies.
“One thing I have learned from the arrogance of the U.S. Congress related to ‘healthcare reform’ is that elected officials better listen to the folks back home, and that’s what I’m doing but I just couldn’t support a non-competitive bill that didn’t have the best interest of the State at heart. I was elected as a ‘citizen lawmaker,’ and if the people of my district want to be able to vote on this issue, that’s what I’m going to give them the opportunity to do,” Sen. Sanford stated. “If this does make its way to the ballot box in November, I ask that voters do their due diligence on the issue and not make a decision based on any slick advertising campaign but on the true facts and information,” he finished.
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Paid for by Friends of Paul Sanford, 218 Westchester Ave, Huntsville, AL 35801
HERE for full text of SB380.