Ads with children halt lottery budget

BOISE – In a 34-34 tie vote, the Idaho House defeated the budget bill for the state Lottery Commission on Wednesday, out of concern over the use of children in materials supporting the lottery.

“The objection is not to the lottery or to the funding, but to the exploitation of children,” said Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart, D-Boise. “The use of children to advertise … gambling is reprehensible.”

Pasley-Stuart said she objected to the use of photographs of children in classrooms in the state lottery’s annual report, alongside touts of how much money the lottery raised for schools. She wants the budget bill, Senate Bill 1197, rewritten to include just one change: prohibiting use of children to advertise or promote the lottery. The measure had earlier passed the Senate on a 29-4 vote.

After the tied vote, the House reconsidered, but the motion to reconsider also failed on a tie. It’s now up to the Legislature’s joint budget committee to draft a new budget bill for the agency.