The US Anti-Online gambling law

I just found out about this:

Apparently the law that caused so many problems for US online gamblers is this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAFE_Port_Act

The law that is supposed to govern regulations with water trade and add security to port trade. They decided to add the completely unrelated online gambling law into it at the last moment.

I'm very surprised. Can they even do that?

First, many congressmen probably already made up their mind on voting yes to increase port security. So they probably didn't even double check that there was something completely unrelated that got added. Secondly, anyone that favors increase port security and neutral to online gambling is obviously going to vote yes, and since port security isn't very controversial, this will happen a lot. And last, anyone who votes no to the bill because of the online gambling section is going to be targeted and portrayed as they voted against port security instead of against online gambling.

Despite such obvious vote manipulation, 8 years passed and nobody challenged it enough to reverse it.

This kind of thing is pretty common. It's called a rider and most politicians will use it to get some personal project through on a safe piece of legislation. If you look at a lot of the non-controversial stuff you'll see things like 50k appropriated to this town or this project.

Yes, It is a ridiculous thing to add something completely different in a bill. When I saw this in various formus when it passed I could not believe that such things happen in the US.
Where I come from,such things do not happen.
I have no idea how the system in the US works but where I am from apart from voting on the totality of a bill, parlamentarians can also vote on specific aricles of a bill or introduce amendements on articles or adiitional articles to be voted on. So before the totality of a bill is put down for voting, an amendemnt on specific articles can be put down for voting and if the pass they form part of the bill to be put for voting on its totality.
Do similar procedures exist in the US system.

Quote: AceTwo

Yes, It is a ridiculous thing to add something completely different in a bill. When I saw this in various formus when it passed I could not believe that such things happen in the US.
Where I come from,such things do not happen.
I have no idea how the system in the US works but where I am from apart from voting on the totality of a bill, parlamentarians can also vote on specific aricles of a bill or introduce amendements on articles or adiitional articles to be voted on. So before the totality of a bill is put down for voting, an amendemnt on specific articles can be put down for voting and if the pass they form part of the bill to be put for voting on its totality.
Do similar procedures exist in the US system.

When it goes up for vote they can try and get rid of amendments and additional articles, but the problem is if they do that then when they try to get their own pet projects passed the guy they just voted down will vote them down. It's a scratch my back and I'll scratch yours system.

Its the infernal UIGEA passed in 2006. Prohibit the US banking system from transacting with Internet based gaming. Of course a few Benjamins in an envelope with a copy of the water/electric/phone bill was a good work-around. But the Internet gaming site chose NOT to do the same on withdrawl. Therein lies the rub.