Representative Joe Barton wants to help poker players stay on the couch. The Texas Republican introduced a bill in Congress on Thursday that would pave the way for states to legalize online poker without fear of federal intervention.

It’s the second such Internet gambling bill introduced this year. In June, Republican New York Congressman Peter King introduced a piece of legislation he called the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013.

Unlike Barton’s bill, that gambling act would open the door to all forms of casino games, not just poker. The federal government cracked down on Internet gambling in 2011. But the same year, the U.S. Justice Department issued a ruling making online gambling legal so long as it’s permitted on the state level.

Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have legalized some kind of online gambling, and legislatures in other states are weighing the issue. Barton’s legislation, dubbed the Internet Poker Freedom Act, would only apply to poker and would allow states to opt out of the federal system. The Texas lawmaker said the bill is needed to protect poker players and the integrity of the game from shady offshore organizations and confusing patchworks of state-by-state regulation.

“Poker is an all-American game. It’s a game that I learned as a teen and continue to play today. Just like millions of other players I enjoy the strategy and skill involved,” he said in a statement. “I continue to be supportive of the Americans who play poker online. They deserve to have a legal, on-shore system that makes sure everyone is playing in an honest, fair structure.”

Congress flirted with an online gambling bill in 2012, but industry infighting and partisan disagreement ultimately doomed it. When that legislation failed, states began moving ahead on their own. Since then, poker players have been caught in a legal grey area.