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| Rep. Craig Ford |
State Representative Craig Ford of Gadsden has announced he
will sponsor two different lottery bills when state lawmakers meet next month.
Ford says he’s pitching two versions, but there will
ultimately just be one version, and it may be a combination of both bills.
For the past four years Ford
has sponsored bills to bring a lottery to Alabama. He hopes this will be
his lucky year.
Ford said he is going to propose two lottery bills, one for
the education trust fund and one for the general fund. The one for the
education fund will go to fund scholarships similar to the hope scholarships in
Georgia.
A lottery may be a hard sell with state Republicans.
Right now the lack of money in the state’s general fund
budget is the big crisis and an education lottery won’t fix that. On the other hand, if it goes towards the
general fund there may be backlash from voters.
Some Republican lawmakers argue that a majority of
Alabamians are only in favor of a lottery if it’s earmarked for education.
The lottery is not the only idea on the table that Ford and
other state democrats are supporting. In addition to the lottery, Ford says the
democratic caucus is pushing for a $1-per pack tax increase on cigarettes, and
a resolution encouraging Governor Robert Bentley to enter a compact with tribal
casinos in Alabama to allow table gaming in exchange for state revenue.
The 2015 Alabama Legislative Session is scheduled to begin
on March 3.
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