Church Gambling Bill gets Support from AR House

This sort of thing makes my head hurt...the religious right are the very people who are steadfast against a state lottery for Arkansas. Why on earth would they support this???
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Committee OKs bingo for charity
By Gary Lookadoo Staff Writer garyl@nwanews.com

Posted on Thursday, April 7, 2005

URL: http://www.nwanews.com/story/bcdr/19194

LITTLE ROCK — A proposal to legalize charitable bingo and raffles got support from a House committee Tuesday and will be presented to the full House today, a Bella Vista state lawmaker said.

The proposal House Joint Resolution 1003, by Rep. Shirley Borhauer, R-Bella Vista, would allow churches and some other groups to gamble on bingo for charity, Borhauer said.

The measure, a proposed amendment to the state constitution, was approved by the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, she said.

To be enacted, the proposal will still have to be approved by the 100-member House of Representatives, then get approval in the 35-member Senate.

She planned to present the bill to the 100-member House on Thursday, Borhauer said. "I did not present the bill today. But I will do so tomorrow, Thursday. … I feel I have a lot of support for the (proposed) amendment but do not count my chickens before they are hatched," the Bella Vista state representative said.

If approved by both Houses of the state Legislature, the proposed amendment to the state constitution will be placed on the state’s general election ballot in 2006. If voters approve the amendment, it will be added to the state constitution. "The bingo bill is passed out of committee, and I have to get 51 votes in the House to pass it. (State) Sen. Faris (D-Malvern) will present it in the Senate, where it needs 18 votes. So, we'll see," Borhauer said.

More of the ironic situation...

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Lawmakers endorse bingo referendum, reject annual sessions, property tax cap
Wednesday, Apr 6, 2005

By Wesley Brown
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas may soon get an opportunity to remove its name from the list of only four states that bar charitable bingo and raffles.

The Joint Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Tuesday referred House Joint Resolution 1003 to the House and Senate floors for consideration, but soundly rejected two proposals to hold annual legislation sessions and raise the cap on property taxes.

HJR 1003 by Rep. Shirley Borhauer, R-Bella Vista, may be the only proposed constitutional amendment that the Legislature will consider during this session.

"I think we have a good chance of getting this passed," said Ken Bennett, chairman of the Committee to Legalize Charitable Bingo.

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getting to be a real stench!! If it makes it to the ballot in 2006, think I'll actively campaign against it. Must protect the Southern Baptists from themselves!!

statement that poor people will spend money on a lottery that should go for food for their kids so many times it makes me sick. Welllll! They just spend the money driving to Mississippi to spend the food money and Miss gets to improve their schools and roads and everything else that we need too. The churches in Russellville say a lottery is immoral. It is immoral when the money goes to improve schools and roads but not when it goes to the new addition that has long been planned for the comfort of the congregation .....Hmmmmm!