By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

The lifespan of the new Quality of Life scratch-off ticket—the proceeds of which are to be used to support AIDS agencies and organizations—was briefly threatened last week when legislation was scheduled in the Illinois House Gaming Committee that would have specified the sale of only one special purpose scratch-off ticket at a time.

The legislation, HB 4155, sponsored by Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville), would have diluted the ticket’s effectiveness, since it essentially would have limited the ticket’s sale to once every two years or less, according to a statement from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Black tabled the legislation March 5.

The Quality of Life ticket, which was introduced after much lobbying by community activists last year, went on sale February 15.

The scratch-off ticket was hindered by a similar complication last fall when Gov. Rod Blagojevich returned the legislation with an amendatory veto authorizing only two special-purpose scratch-off tickets at any given time. Blagojevich’s changes were overridden in the Senate 39-8 Oct. 3 and in the House 72-38 Oct. 11.