After supposedly dying in the House on Wednesday when a critical deadline expired, the Alabama lottery proposal once again has a chance to get on the ballot for the Nov. 8 elections. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved the bill by a vote of 8-3, moving it to the floor on Thursday.

Governor Robert Bentley and legislators had been operating under the assumption that the deadline for a lottery proposal to get on the ballot was Wednesday, Aug. 24. The date became a critical part of the session as lottery opponents used various tactics to slow down the process so the bill would not make the cutoff.

Originally, the Economic Development Committee was slated to debate the lottery on Wednesday, but Alabama House Rules stipulate that committee meetings must be advertised 24 hours in advance. Since the committee hearing for the lottery bill was not advertised with proper notice, a group of opponents banded together to push back the date of the meeting to Thursday.

Sen. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, disagrees Aug. 24 is the deadline and asserts it is Friday. Secretary of State John Merrill submitted the question to Attorney General Luther Strange to decide.

If legislators do not meet the deadline, the lottery would have to be approved by Alabama voters in either a special election or the 2018 ballot.