Lawmaker reaction to gambling measure varies

By RONNIE ELLIS
CNHI News Service

FRANKFORT February 15, 2008 05:15 pm

— Legislative reaction to Gov. Steve Beshear’s plan to allow casino gambling in Kentucky was hesitant Thursday afternoon. Some have their minds already made up; others want to read and digest the amendment and the 136-page enabling legislation, which provides the specifics of how it would be implemented.
“There’s a lot to digest,” said House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, who favors placing the question on the ballot but objects to some specifics in Beshear’s plan such as delineating the percentage of proceeds to specific spending areas such as health care and education. “My rule is not to comment until I’ve read it.”
The amendment limits the number of casinos to 12 overall, seven at existing horse tracks and another five “free-standing casinos.” The locations of those five are spelled out in the enabling legislation – either Greenup or Boyd counties; either Kenton or Campbell counties; Daviess County; Christian County, and either Laurel or Whitley counties.
But specifying a casino location in Greenup, Boyd, Whitley or Laurel counties does not guarantee support from legislators representing those areas.
“That has no effect on my vote,” said Charles Siler, R-Williamsburg. Siler has said previously he can’t support expanded gambling.
John Vincent, R-Ashland, who is not seeking re-election, said the possibility of a casino in Boyd County will not change his opposition.
“I’m not going to be in favor of it either way,” Vincent said outside the House chambers Thursday afternoon after learning Beshear wants to allow a casino in Vincent’s northeastern Kentucky home area. He doesn’t think there’s a lot of support for casinos back home.
“I haven’t taken a poll, but the ones who have spoken to me have been against it,” Vincent said.
Greenup County Rep. Tanya Pullin, D-South Shore, said she wants to read the bill before commenting on it.
Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook, the House Majority Leader, on the other hand supports placing the measure on the ballot. The entire Democratic House leadership has agreed to co-sponsor the amendment. Adkins – and every other member of the House leadership except Richards – attended Beshear’s press conference to announce the details of the plan.
Senate Minority Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond, has said polls indicate voters want to decide the question at the ballot box and the painfully spare budget Beshear has proposed without an influx of new revenue will likely factor into people’s decisions – both in the legislature and at the voting booth.
Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, whose district is also named as a location for a free-standing casino, wouldn’t express a position.
“The President (David Williams, R-Burkesville) has asked us not to comment and let the House deal with it,” Jensen said. “Let them know they can’t rely on the Senate to get them off the hook.”
Some hesitant members of the House who fear voter reaction back home have said they are reluctant to cast a vote for casino gambling in the House when it faces a likely death in the Republican-controlled Senate. It takes 60 votes to pass the measure in the House and 23 in the Senate. But, the Senate won’t have to confront the issue if it fails in the House.
Richards said it will pass the Democratically-controlled House. But maybe not in the form in which Beshear proposes. Beshear said earlier today that’s fine, that lawmakers can make changes in the bill but his proposal is a starting point for the debate.
“We’re going to vet it, and I’m sure there’s going to be some changes,” Richards said. “I plan to support it later – once some changes are made.”
House Minority Leader Jeff Hoover, R-Jamestown, said the measure faces an uphill battle.
“I think they’ve got a hard hill to climb to get it passed,” said Hoover, who opposes expanded gambling. “It had a better chance in the first two weeks of the session than it does now.”
Republicans in the House generally oppose the measure while most Democrats favor it. But that doesn’t mean they want to cast a vote for an amendment which can’t be passed in the Senate – but one which might haunt them in the fall election.
No more than six or so of the 36 House Republicans are thought to support casino gambling and some Democrats are on record opposing it as well.
At least one Democratic Senator, Ray Jones of Pikeville, has expressed reservations about voting for gambling, citing his Baptist heritage. That will play a factor among voters if it gets to the ballot said Larue County Judge/Executive Tommy Turner.
“It would have a tough time down in my area,” Turner said. “There’s a lot of Baptists. And some in an area like ours which won’t get a casino will say what’s in it for us?”
RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.