A proposal to help fund Alabama services through a state lottery passed the Alabama House of Representatives Thursday on a second vote after the first vote fell short of approval, according to a Montgomery Advertiser report.
The initial proposal to establish a lottery fell two votes short of approval in the House, which, normally, would kill it, according to the article. However, supporters of the lottery Thursday managed to win a reconsideration motion, and the House approved the amendment 64-35 on a second vote, the article states.
The proposal goes to the Senate for concurrence or a conference committee.
The proposal, which prompted Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (R) to call a special session of the Legislature, is designed to aid state financial pressures.
The most urgent issue is the Alabama Medicaid Agency, as it consumes the most money from the state general fund and serves about 1 million Alabamians.
The bill, if approved, would put 10 percent of the proceeds into the state's education trust fund and the rest into the general fund, according to the article. The first $100 million of the general fund proceeds would help fund the state's Medicaid program.