Permits certain fraternal organizations to conduct charitable gaming by operating electronic bell jar vending machines; repealer

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jessica Scarcella-Spanton says this is needed

Chapter 697 of 2025 and Chapter 4 of 2026 updated the current charitable gaming laws related to "bell jar" (or pull-tabs) that are currently utilized by charitable organizations, such as veteran's organization, local volunteer fire departments, and fraternal organizations to raise funds for their charitable organizations. The 2025 law expanded the "bell jar" charitable gaming law to allow these organizations to utilize electronic bell jar vending machines. However, a 2026 chapter amendment (Chapter 4 of 2026), made significant changes to the underlying 2025 chapter, including limiting the expansion of electronic bell jar vending machines to only veteran's organizations and volunteer fire departments, excluding fraternal organizations such as the Elks, Moose, and Ancient Order of Hibernians from being able to use electronic bell jar vending machines. While these fraternal organizations could still use the "paper" version of charitable bell jar gaming, they are now restricted from using electronic bell jar vending machines. This bill seeks to correct this oversight by authorizing fraternal organizations that had previously held a bell jar gaming license as of November 2025 to also be able to utilize electronic bell jar vending machines. This bill also corrects another oversight in the law by authorizing non-members of the veteran's organizations, fraternal organization, or volunteer fire departments from using the electronic bell jar vending machines. Additionally, it grants these organizations more leeway in who can help operate the vending machines, as currently employees of these charitable organizations cannot help maintaining or running the charita- ble gaming. This has become an issue for some of these organizations that have limited (and older) membership and utilize employees to manage the organization's administrative duties.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.