Statement by Sen. Harri Anne Smith
April 14, 2008
Below is the full text of the statement read by Sen. Harri Anne Smith when she announced that she had withdrawn her bingo bill from the Alabama Senate.
“I recenrtly introduced a bill in the state Senate which would have put the establishment of electronic bingo in Houston County on the ballot in November. I did this because I believe that when the citizens of any community face a political and moral issue of great significance they should have the opportunity to participate in that decision.”
“I believe that then and I believe it now. Since I introduced this bill I have heard from hundreds of people from all walks of life – in the newspaper, on the Internet, by phone, on radio and TV, and on the street.”
“The good, solid citizens of our community have let me know in no uncertain terms how strongly they feel about this issue. The consensus is obvious to me. A majority of the people of Houston County clearly want the Country Crossing development to move forward because of what they believe it will mean to this area in terms of jobs and economic development. For that reason I have today contacted the Senate committee chairman and asked that my bill be stopped permanantly.”
