SR 131, which would have legalized betting on horse racing and led to gambling expansion in our state, was stopped in the Senate yesterday! It was a tense battle, and even after passage, it took the rest of the night to ensure that our victory would stand against a reconsideration vote. Thankfully, the Senate adjourned without taking up the bill again.
This is a major victory! For those of you who helped engage on this issue, we thank you for using your voice to urge your legislators to action in line with our values and principles. This narrow victory shows just how crucial it is that people of principle be actively involved, even from the sidelines, and engage in the battles to shape the future of our state and our nation.
These are the 20 senators that voted against this resolution. If one of these is your Senator, please send him or her a warm note of thanks for standing for good policy and against this expansion.
Sen. Jason Anavitarte
Sen. Michelle Au
Sen. Matt Brass
Sen. Clint Dixon
Sen. Greg Dolezal
Sen. Russ Goodman
Sen. Sonya Halpern
Sen. Marty Harbin
Sen. Sally Harrell
Sen. Bo Hatchett
Sen. Chuck Hufstetler
Sen. Lester Jackson
Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick
Sen. Nikki Merritt
Sen. Elena Parent
Sen. Chuck Payne
Sen. Randy Robertson
Sen. Bruce Thompson
Sen. Lindsey Tippins
Sen. Larry Walker, III
We fully expect some tricks to resurrect gambling expansion, so please be on the lookout for future alerts.
School choice:
We must also report that Senate Bill 601, the school choice bill we have been working for, unfortunately failed to pass the senate yesterday. We will be directing our efforts towards other bills that will expand educational opportunity, but this highlights the importance of engaging in elections for candidates that will support this freedom for parents and students in our state.
Human Dignity:
Among other good legislation passed yesterday, another victory we should mention is the passage of Senate Bill 565 by Senator Brian Strickland, which eliminates the waiting period for human trafficking victims to petition the court to vacate their convictions related to victimization. We have been strongly supportive of this bill, which allows victims to start a new life with a clean slate and reaffirms the human dignity that we all have from our Creator.
It was a busy day, yesterday, and this is a historic session for legislation that strengthens families and protects our values; but it is not over yet. We will continue fighting for families, winning for families, and for the future of our state!
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