With just three weeks to go before the end of the California legislative session, State Senator Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana has amended SB 678 and reclassified it as urgent.
The bill which has seen little movement since March 2013 (see previous reports) was amended to legalise online poker in California but limits licence awards to American Indian Tribes and card clubs that already hold gambling interests in the State.
“These amendments are the product of ongoing discussions with a broad coalition of California Indian gaming and non-gaming tribes who have participated in an inclusive and transparent process over the past several months,” Correa said in a statement.
The LA Times reports the bill is supported by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians but is opposed by others including the California Tribal Business Alliance. David Quintana, a spokesman for the alliance, predicted that the bill will not be acted on this year. “That bill is not going to move,” he said.
Whether the latest move will gain impetus remains to be seen as State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said earlier this month that he saw little chance of the advancement of any online gambling bill before the current legislative sessions closes.
The bill reclassified as an urgency bill would need to pass both houses with a 2/3 majority before being enacted into law.