With just a few short weeks left in the congressional calendar, Rep. Bob Goodlatte is scrounging text from other legislation in hopes of jumpstarting his stalled Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, HR 3125. Among other things, Goodlatte is reportedly borrowing language from HR 4419, the Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act, introduced last May by House Banking Committee Chairman Jim Leach.
HR 3125 has been heavily criticized for being unenforceable and for having numerous carve-outs that would expand some types of gambling. Meanwhile, HR 4419 arguably has the virtue of being enforceable, although convincing financial institutions to accept being cast in a law enforcement role wouldn't be an easy task.
Both Goodlatte and his Senate counterpart, Jon Kyl, who managed last year to squeeze a prohibition bill through the Senate last year, have been working hard to garner new support for 3125. During a visit to cohort James Dobson's radio talk show, Focus on the Family, the duo recently lambasted their Republican colleagues for failing to pass the bill. Listeners were encouraged to call Republican leaders demanding their support of Goodlatte's bill, and the listeners faithfully followed the instructions, calling Republican leaders in the droves. The result: Goodlatte is reportedly working with at least one opponent to draft a compromise bill that could receive the necessary votes for passage.
Despite rumors that HR 3125 is dead, Goodlatte who met with Kyl today, will likely take another swing at it before all is said and done. Nonetheless, he faces an uphill battle. So far, his bill hasn't been placed back on the House calendar.