Lottery vote may be next year, not this year

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Governor Brad Henry says it's possible a vote on an education lottery might not happen until next year. <br><br>The Legislature approved a bill in early April that sends the lottery

Tuesday, April 15th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Governor Brad Henry says it's possible a vote on an education lottery might not happen until next year.

The Legislature approved a bill in early April that sends the lottery question to a vote of the people. Still pending is a trailer bill to create a constitutional amendment to dedicate lottery revenue to education.

If the trailer bill doesn't pass with a two-thirds majority of the Legislature, Henry says he might not call a lottery election this year.

The governor says he wants to keep the promise he made during the campaign to ensure the lottery could not be used for anything other than education.

Senate Joint Resolution 22 has been making its way through the Legislature. The measure would create the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund and would limit the use of money in the fund to education.

It can pass with a simple majority, but requires a two-thirds majority of approval by the House and the Senate to allow the governor to call a special election.