On the finish of April, the Massachusetts Senate passed a sports betting bill through a voice vote. Having confronted criticism across the lack of transparency in voice votes, which don’t present the general public how particular person lawmakers would vote, Senate President Karen Spilka informed Boston Public Radio Friday that she would have voted sure had the vote been a roll name.
Spilka dedicated Friday that the ultimate vote will likely be a roll name.
“It is no secret, I’m not a fan of playing,” Spilka stated, referencing her vote towards a on line casino legislation in 2010. “I’d have voted sure on this explicit invoice based mostly on [these] very robust items of client safety.”
Spilka pointed to elements of the invoice that will require 9% of income going to dependancy remedy assets, prohibitions on bank card use for betting and limits on promoting as circumstances that led to her help.
The Home additionally accepted a model of the sports activities betting invoice in April. Subsequent, the Home and Senate will reconcile any variations earlier than a remaining vote — variations that maybe most notably embrace whether college sports betting will likely be legalized.
The Senate President additionally mentioned the Senate’s $50 million budget plan released Tuesday, which incorporates funding for early training, childcare, opioid dependancy remedy, psychological well being care, greater training scholarships and extra. The price range additionally allocates $2 million in direction of reproductive well being care and rights.
She hinted that there’s extra to come back on defending abortions within the commonwealth, following the leaked Supreme Court draft decision that will overturn Roe v. Wade that was first reported by POLITICO.
“We’re language, working with replica advocates, working with the lawyer common as to what extra we have to do,” she stated. “We’re different legislative choices. Once more, that is all very early, however I anticipate that we are going to do extra as effectively.”
The Senate will begin debating the price range on Might 24.
