Bronner again calls for gambling package, says new revenue needed

Retirement Systems of Alabama CEO David Bronner took a swipe at lawmakers for their failure to pass a gambling bill and warned of looming budget difficulties in the latest RSA Advisor.

The August issue of the RSA-published newsletter, distributed online and in the mail to state and education retirees, is out now. 

“Alabama likes to attack a problem when it becomes a crisis instead of trying to solve a problem we know is coming in the future,” Bronner wrote under the banner headline “The Village Idiot.” 

Bronner said while the state has made a few tax cuts and created some additional savings accounts, it will have a revenue loss when the federal COVID-19 funding well runs dry in 2026.

“One source of revenue to replace the tax cuts could be gaming,” Bronner, RSA’s chief for more than 50 years, wrote. “There have been no meaningful COLAs for RSA retirees in 18 years! There is no affordable health care coverage for nearly 200,000 Alabamians, many of whom are employed in low-paying positions. Rural hospitals are dropping like flies! Even great new programs like ‘Working for Alabama’ by Governor Ivey require additional funding for childcare and housing to make an impact.”

Bronner in June urged Gov. Kay Ivey to call a special session, to give lawmakers another shot at placing gambling legalization on the ballot. It’s the best bet, he argued, to fund raises for state retirees.

The gambling legislation, which passed out of the House but came short of one vote in the Senate, was projected to generate as much as $749 million in annual revenue for the state. The bill would have placed the question of legalizing gambling on the ballot as a referendum.

He repeated that call in the latest Advisor.

“Gov. Ivey should call a special session, but only if the public gets interested in the 15 Senators who voted NO and assures her of their support for the entire package. I have known some of the 15 Senators for decades, and some have legitimate reasons for not supporting gaming solutions – BUT THEY OWE ALABAMA A MEANINGFUL SOLUTION NOW, AND NOT WHEN THE TRAIN RUNS US OVER!”

Those 15 senators had a variety of reasons for their no votes, including opposition to gambling and using it as a revenue source, concerns about the scope of the bill and it not benefiting the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. After the session, some said the opposition to a gambling bill is even stronger. In May, Ivey said, based on staunch opposition, she wasn’t going to call a special session. “Why would I?” she said.

In a separate writing, Bronner called for leadership in the State House and Capitol.

“This year will decide if our current leadership legacy will be extraordinary in our state’s history or merely like the last fifty years,” he said. 

“ … In my opinion, a financial crisis is coming. Unfortunately, the only real solution is gambling, and yet, the only hold up to solving the problem is the Alabama Senate. Hopefully, a handful of the 15 senators who voted no will reconsider their opposition to gambling.”

On Tuesday, Alabama Daily News reported that RSA’s funded liability in both the Teachers’ Retirement System and Employees’ Retirement System had decreased and RSA will ask lawmakers to increase the state’s contributions to the funds in fiscal 2026.