In the wake of Bentley's announcement, the members of Cullman's legislative delegation have taken to social media to share their thoughts.
Rep. Corey Harbison, R- Good Hope, 12th District
"A lottery bill will have to be passed by August 24th to be on the November ballot. I have always said and I still say I am all for giving the people a vote on a good clean lottery bill. The first question is going to be what language will the bill contain? That will be a factor in my decision. The second question is if we don't get a bill passed by the deadline would you rather wait two years and vote on it in the next statewide election or have a special election? I have been told a special election would cost somewhere around 2.5 millions dollars. As always I welcome your comments, messages, and calls. I'm here to serve you."
Rep. Randall Shedd, R- Fairview, 11th District
"I stated in the beginning of my legislative term that I don't expect I would stand in the way of people voting, even though I personally do not believe a lottery is the solution.
Letting the people vote on a lottery is not that simple and I haven't heard any details from Governor Bentley's newest idea.
The problem will be the legislature working out the details on what the people would be voting on.
I will not vote for Governor Bentley's lottery without specific details being in the legislation and the constitutional amendment the people would be voting on.
I have to see the details before I can say how I would vote in the legislature. For example, I have been told the state of Illinois is now having to use tax dollars to pay their lottery winners. I would oppose using tax dollars for lottery purposes.
I will listen to the people of my district and the coming debate in the days ahead but I do want the people of my district to know the details.
We don't want this to be another 'get rich scheme' for select Montgomery lobbyists. I'm tired of that.
I will do my best to represent the views of the people of my district when I cast my people's vote in the legislature.
I take seriously the views of the people I represent and I welcome letters, calls, text messages, emails, Facebook comments or other means of hearing from people from my district. Keep in mind, sometimes I get flooded with calls and I can only talk to one person at a time.
We will work through this but still believe a Special Session is unnecessary."
Sen. Paul Bussman, R- Cullman, 4th District
"The Governor is doing the same thing he did last year, calling a special session of the legislature to fix a ‘crisis’ with no consensus or solid, long-term solution ready. That, in my opinion, is a path for failure which will waste time and cost the citizens of AL thousands of dollars. Make no mistake, this is not about Medicaid or the lottery. This is about the expansion of other forms of gaming in AL. Everything else can and should be addressed in the next regular session. And don’t forget that last year’s 'crisis' and special session was solved by raising your taxes, which I strongly opposed.
The people have a right to vote on a stand-alone, clear, detailed lottery bill. But over the last few years, getting a stand-alone, clear, detailed lottery bill has been impossible. My support for such a bill will depend on those details. If other forms of gaming are tied to the bill in any way, I will strongly oppose the bill. Another invented 'crisis:' another possible bad outcome for Alabama. I will keep you posted."
According to a poll being conducted by WBRC FOX6 News, "If given the opportunity to vote on an Alabama statewide lottery, how would you vote?" 86 percent have responded "Yes" and 14 percent "No."
