The lottery legislation was already in flames earlier in the evening due to Democrats wanting more proceeds for education. Caet legislators, both Republicans and Democrats, were among 60 House members that had rejected the lottery proposal earlier in the evening. This jeopardized Bryant’s plan to include a lottery as part of his $200 million special session on road and bridge funding. Jackson’s restaurant meeting had one goal: to get some of Monday’s negative votes to go in favor of the governor’s staff. Mississippi Today was able to see the scene from several lawmakers’ perspectives, but they declined to comment on the matter because they didn’t want to be criticized by their colleagues and the governor’s staff. Representatives at the restaurant moved one at a time to a smaller table to meet Whitney Lipscomb (an attorney on Bryant’s staff and the main author of the lottery bill), who answered their questions and addressed any concerns. According to legislators who were approached on Monday and Tuesday by the governor’s office, the main topic of these one-on-one conversations was the pot of approximately $100 million in BP settlement funds that will be used for specific projects. Representatives from the governor’s offices said that the topic of the meeting was not BP funding but the lottery bill. “The Governor’s role is to answer any questions lawmakers have about a particular issue or piece of legislation. Bryant’s policy staff will answer any questions that lawmakers may have on a specific issue or piece legislation, particularly one as complex as Senate Bill 2001,” stated Clay Chandler, Bryant spokesperson. “Whitney Lipscomb fulfilled that responsibility well yesterday as she has many times before.” Bryant stated at the start of the special session that the splitting of the BP funds — which was the settlement that the state received from the 2010 Gulf Coast oil spillage — would be discussed during the session but only after the other parts of the transportation proposal had been passed. Several House members confirmed to Mississippi Today that it was clear after Monday’s vote, that a lottery must be passed before any possible earmarks from BP funding can be put on the table. Eight total House members voted yes on Tuesday after their Monday no vote was changed to a yes vote. A list of those eight representatives is at the bottom. Five of those were Republicans, while three were Democrats. Two of the eight representatives were present at Caet Monday night with Lipscomb. Caet gives rare insight into Jackson’s legislative process: Even if a bill is defeated, legislative procedures usually keep it alive for a while. Lobbyists representing large international corporations and staffers with direct influence on the state’s purse strings are able to make their case as the bill hangs in balance. Bryant’s efforts in bringing back the lottery bill are remarkable, given the fact that he and other Republican leaders were opposed to the games. Despite this, Lipscomb’s efforts were successful and staffers in the governor’s office were having a great time celebrating and deciding how they would add the BP settlement item into the special session. The bill is now on the governor’s desk, where it will be signed after the Senate approved the proposal Monday. Leaders stated this week that they anticipate the game to be “up-and-running” within two years. Many members voted in favor of the controversial proposal because they believed their constituents wanted it. Also, because many Mississippians were traveling to other states to buy lottery tickets, several members voted in favor. Rep. Bubba Carpenter (R-Burnsville) said, “I live in an border county to Tennessee.” “I feel like a lot (of) our Mississippi money (is going out of state). “We are losing money not only from lottery tickets but also sales tax when they buy gas, beer, or any other item when they buy a lottery ticket.” Carpenter stated that he had several people to ask him to vote no but that “a lot of my people asked me” to vote for the Mississippi Lottery Corp., a quasi-government agency. It will be managed by a five-member board consisting of governor’s appointees. The governor would veto the appointment of a president to the corporation. A private company would be hired to manage the game’s implementation. The proposal was estimated to generate $80 million annually in revenue, with the majority going towards state road and bridge repairs. The conference report was modified by leaders to direct any excess revenue of $80 million to Education Enhancement Fund. The lottery revenue would be transferred directly to the General Fund after ten years. The governor needed Democrats to pass his lottery proposal, despite the fact that Republicans have a three-fifths supermajority. This is because there has been significant moral opposition to the lottery among Republicans. Bryant was harshly critical of Democrats who voted against the bill after it was rejected by the House on Monday night. Bryant’s staff had managed to convince enough Republicans and Democrats to pass the bill by Tuesday. Rep. Doug McLeod (R-Lucedale) said, “I wasn’t going to jeopardize funding for roads, something so essential.” “Seven of the ten people in my district support a lottery.” Although I don’t generally oppose a lottery, I was not opposed to the process of some things in the bill. Rep. Greg Holloway (D-Hazlehurst) changed his vote from “no” on Monday to “yes” on Tuesday. He stated that he had spoken with House members who support the lottery and they told him which items the money could be used for but not the governor’s. Reps that flipped from a “no” vote on Monday to a “yes” vote Tuesday were: * Rep. Jody Steerson, R.Ripley * Rep. Doug McLeod (R-Lucedale) * Rep. Joey Hood (R-Vicksburg) * Rep. Edward Blackmon (D-Canton), * Rep. Greg Holloway (D-Hazlehurst) * Rep. Debra Gibbs (D-Jackson) Support this work and make a recurring gift today to continue to support this story.