Senator blames gambling interests for stalling farm center bill

A state senator said Tuesday he would try to block votes on all House bills during the final two days of the legislative session after a bill important to his district stalled.

The situation could be resolved Wednesday morning when the committee considering the bill meets again.

Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, an opponent of gambling legislation, blamed gambling interests for what happened to his bill, SB219.

The bill would create the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation that would operate the Alabama Farm Center. Shelnutt said the project would be developed on Interstate 65 near Warrior on the property of the Hallmark Farm.

The Senate and House passed SB219 without a dissenting vote in April. But because the House made some changes to the bill, it went to a conference committee of three representatives and three senators to try reconcile the differences.

Approval of the conference committee version of SB219 required the signatures of at least two of the three members from each chamber.

The senators, Shelnutt, Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, and Jack Williams, R-Mobile County, signed the bill. So did Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens.

But two of the three representatives on the committee were part of an ad hoc committee that developed and supported the gambling legislation in the House. And neither of those, Rep. Sam Jones, D-Mobile, and Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, signed the bill. Whitt did not attend the meeting. So the bill remained stuck in the conference committee on Tuesday.

“It’s all because of gambling,” Shelnutt said. “The gambling interests aren’t getting their way.”

“You’d have to ask them their reasons why,” Shelnutt said. “They decided they’re going to take a stance and kill this bill. Maybe because I was the sponsor and I was a no on gambling.”

Jones said he did not sign the conference committee bill because he thought it was being rushed.

“I said that I had not had time to look at this,” Jones said.

On the constitutional amendment to allow the lottery and casinos, Jones said the compromise bill that failed by a single vote in the Senate last week was a good tradeoff between the House version, which he helped develop, and the Senate’s scaled-back version.

“I think the initial bill sent to them is probably the best you can find,” Jones said. “Even experts in other parts of the country said that. We wanted a compromise, and we did. We compromised a whole lot.”

Jones said for the Democrats, that meant allowing for a special election date of Aug. 20, instead of having a lottery and gambling constitutional amendment voted on during the Nov. 5, general election that could encourage more Democratic voters to turn out to the polls.

Other compromises, he said, included the removal of sports betting and a compromise on the number of casinos.

“It’s difficult for me to understand why we couldn’t get a vote to get an opportunity (for lottery and casino gambling),” he said.

Whitt could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

As for Shelnutt’s plans to filibuster, Senate rules allow individual senators to speak extensively on every question that comes up. That means one senator can delay action on bills for hours. The Senate adjourned Tuesday night without considering more than 20 House bills that were on the agenda for the day.

“My plan right now, unless something changes, is no House bills will pass for the rest of the session,” Shelnutt said.

That could change Wednesday morning. The conference committee is scheduled to meet again at 9:30 a.m.

SB219 says the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation will operate the Alabama Farm Center “for the purposes of promoting, showcasing, and facilitating education regarding all facets of the agricultural industry and advancing agricultural business and workforce development in this state.”

The bill can still pass if it is approved by the conference committee. Two days remain in the legislative session, counting Wednesday.

Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, accused Shelnutt of being selfish and short-sighted in his stance to block the House bills. Figures spoke out last week after the Senate passed, then killed, a bill she supported to provide parental leave for education employees. But she noted that she did not move to block other bills.

“Why don’t you take it like a big boy just like I took mine like a big girl the other day?” Figures said. “I said my piece and I left it alone.”

Shelnutt said he appreciated Figures’ position.

“I appreciate your passion Senator Figures,” Shelnutt said. “I know you’re passionate about certain bills and I’m passionate about a bill that is not dead yet. And maybe something well change and can change my stance.”