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Senate approves sports-wagering revenue changes after debate over early-childhood funding cap
Summary
After an extended floor debate, the Louisiana Senate passed Senate Bill 135 to change caps on sports-wagering revenue so early-childhood programs would be more likely to receive sustained funding; the bill passed 32–2. Lawmakers sparred over whether sports facilities and youth programs should share newly available revenue.
Senate Bill 135, a measure reallocating portions of new sports-wagering revenue, cleared the Louisiana Senate after an extended floor debate and a recorded vote of 32 ayes and 2 nays.
The bill defines how proceeds from expanded sports wagering would be distributed. Floor sponsor said the bill would direct 25% of new sports-wagering revenue to early-childhood education, but that allocation had previously been capped at $20 million; sports-related programs receive a parallel 25% share with no cap. During floor discussion the sponsor argued the Senate should remove the cap on early-childhood funding and cap the sports fund at $20 million so that child-care programs can keep pace with demand.
"We are short changing a lot of what we had talked about investing when these jobs came in," the sponsor said on the floor, arguing that early-childhood programs face shortages of child-care slots and will run out of allocated funds within four years unless caps are adjusted. He cited an estimated $30 million in new wagering revenue tied to the proposal and referenced a $101 million allocation for a sports facility project as context for the debate.
Opponents did not argue against sports or the facility project itself but raised concerns about the state's broader budget priorities and whether the bill's changes would create predictable long-term funding for early-childhood programs. The Senate ultimately approved the measure and the clerk announced the final tally, 32 ayes and 2 nays; a motion to reconsider was filed immediately after the vote.
The bill now moves on according to Senate procedure (a motion to reconsider was made on the floor). The sponsor framed the measure as a choice between investing in workforce and education infrastructure or prioritizing one-time capital projects and program funds for athletics.
What happens next: The Senate vote advances the measure under the chamber's rules; the clerk recorded the result and a motion to reconsider was entered following passage.
