The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act (H.R. 3125) failed last Monday to receive enough votes for its passage in the House of Representatives, a sore point that is now spurring its supporters to press for yet another vote.
Late Thursday two letters were sent to Majority Leader Richard Armey asking that the bill be considered for another vote before the session's August close. The two letters, one signed by 170 Republicans and the other bearing 30 Democratic signatures, cite the strong showing of support that nearly passed the bill before, but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.
Both letters point out that the Senate version of the bill passed last year unanimously, although they neglect to point out that only nine senators were in the chambers for the vote. Both read, "With the momentum of such support, it is imperative that H.R. 3125 be passed by the House during this legislative session."
A spokesperson for the bill's author, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, explained that they wanted to take advantage of the momentum. "We are still garnering support daily," the spokesperson added.
The bill would be presented "under a rule" meaning that the bill needs to pass under a simple majority. Before the bill can be brought before the House, however, a "rule" governing debate on the bill must be vote upon. The vote on the rule is separate from vote on the legislation, and its failure could scuttle the bill from being considered.
The most recent version of the bill includes language that would prevent state lotteries from selling tickets over the Internet. Additionally, a controversial change was made to allow pari-mutuel gambling through a "closed-loop" subscriber-based system currently operating. Plus, Internet service providers hasve been protected from prosecution for running the illegal gambling sites on their servers, provided the ISPs remove the gambling sites upon their discovery.
Following are copies of the two letters:
Signed by 170 Republicans:
July 19, 2000
Speaker Dennis Hastert
H232, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Hastert:
As you know, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act (H.R. 3125) which was just considered by the House under suspension of the rules, fell just shy of the two-thirds vote needed for passage. However, this strong showing of support by more than 60 percent of those voting, including 80 percent of the voting Republican conference, is an overwhelming recognition of the need to pass legislation to protect our children and communities from the proliferation of gambling on the Internet.
In consideration of the strong support the bill received under suspension, we ask that you honor the will of the majority of the House by bringing H.R. 3125 to the floor for a vote before the August recess.
A similar version of the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act sponsored by Senator Jon Kyl, passed the Senate last fall by unanimous consent. With the momentum of such support, it is imperative that H.R. 3125 be passed by the House during this legislative session. Thank you for your immediate consideration of this very important matter.
Signed by 30 democrats so far
July 19, 2000
Speaker Dennis Hastert
H232, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Hastert:
As you know, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act (H.R. 3125) which was just considered by the House under suspension of the rules, fell just shy of the two-thirds vote needed for passage. However, this strong showing of support by more than 60 percent of those voting, including more than 40 percent of the voting Democratic conference, is an overwhelming recognition of the need to pass legislation to protect our children and communities from the proliferation of gambling on the Internet.
We understand that you have been asked to bring H.R. 3125 to the floor under a rule before the August recess. We would support such a rule.
A similar version of the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act sponsored by Senator Jon Kyl and Senator Richard Bryan, passed the Senate last fall by unanimous consent. With the momentum of such support, it is imperative that H.R. 3125 be passed by the House during this legislative session. Thank you for your immediate consideration of this very important matter.