US Rep. Hank Johnson\u2019s amendment briefly signalled a possible push back by Congress against the DOJ\u2019s Wire Act interpretation, but it was not taken up by the Rules Committee due to a technical error in filing. (Image: YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs first spotted by Online Poker Report<\/em>, the amendment was tagged onto an appropriations bill on Tuesday, HR 3055 — the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act — which is directly responsible for funding the Justice Department.<\/p>\nThe amendment was sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) and cosponsored by Reps. Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia) and Andy Barr (R-Kentucky). Presumably, the three lawmakers are seeking to protect the lottery industries of their respective states, which have been jeopardized by the DOJ\u2019s opinion that the Wire Act\u2019s prohibitions include all forms of gambling and not just sports betting.<\/p>\n
The amendment stated:<\/p>\n
None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to enforce the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel memorandum entitled \u2018Reconsidering Whether the Wire Act Applies to Non-Sports Gambling.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
HR 3055 was heard by the House Rules Committee on Wednesday, which passed the bill to the Committee of the Whole, but the amendment was not called for a vote and was later listed as \u201cwithdrawn.\u201d<\/p>\n
But a spokesman for Rep. Johnson’s office told Casino.org that the amendment had not been withdrawn, but was not considered by the Rules Committee due to “technical error” in filing.<\/p>\n
“This particular amendment will have to be reintroduced either later in this Congress \u2014 the 116th \u2014 or the next Congress, 117th,” the spokesman said.<\/p>\n