Lexington Herald Leader Editorial: "Let The People Decide". I Agree.
Let the people vote
Two weeks ago, we said that the question of expanded gambling will only be put to rest by a vote of the people on a constitutional amendment.
What's happened since then confirms it.
Kentuckians were treated last week to a cavalcade of half-baked ideas by legislators on both sides of allowing slot machines at racetracks.
House Democrats suddenly unveiled a massive education building program in hopes that $1.3 billion in new schools and university laboratories would sell slots.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, were pushing a plan to save Kentucky's year-round racing circuit without the casino-style gambling long coveted by the tracks.
One of the provisions in Senate President David Williams' plan, borrowing $7 million from the state employee insurance trust fund to lend to Ellis Park and several other tracks, would normally have stirred up a lot of questions, but was the subject of no debate.
Neither of the plans received anything approaching a real vetting or thoughtful consideration. Such mundane concerns as sound policy evaporated in the heated atmosphere of high-stakes maneuvering.
There are a couple of ways to view what happened:
1. With almost everything going for it — a governor's strong support, the perception of a crisis in the horse industry and the opportunity to finance a lot of education building — the slot-machine bill barely squeaked through the Democratic House with just one more vote than the minimum needed for passage. Senate President Williams said there is no way the Senate will approve the House bill. The horse industry might as well forget about expanded gambling in Kentucky and get on with devising Plan B.
2. Expanded gambling has already advanced further than ever before in 15 years of arguing about it. Senators, who presumably will get to consider the bill Monday, are under a lot of pressure from people who want new schools and worry about the future of Kentucky racing if it can't compete with slots-subsidized purses in other states. Even if the Senate rejects slots this time, proponents of expanded gambling should keep pushing the issue for the regular session that begins in January.
Each of these perspectives is probably equally valid.
What's undeniably true is that even if the Senate approves racetrack slots next week, an extremely long shot, the legislation would be subject to a court challenge.
The General Assembly can take up expanded gambling again in January, have time during a regular session to give it the vetting it demands and still have an amendment before voters in 16 months.
An amendment can only be approved during a regular session of the General Assembly, which is why we argued against considering slots during this special session.
It's the possibility of slots that has kept some of the state's smaller tracks holding on as long as they have. They won't go away now if there's a possibility of an amendment next year.
Two weeks ago, we said that the question of expanded gambling will only be put to rest by a vote of the people on a constitutional amendment.
What's happened since then confirms it.
Kentuckians were treated last week to a cavalcade of half-baked ideas by legislators on both sides of allowing slot machines at racetracks.
House Democrats suddenly unveiled a massive education building program in hopes that $1.3 billion in new schools and university laboratories would sell slots.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, were pushing a plan to save Kentucky's year-round racing circuit without the casino-style gambling long coveted by the tracks.
One of the provisions in Senate President David Williams' plan, borrowing $7 million from the state employee insurance trust fund to lend to Ellis Park and several other tracks, would normally have stirred up a lot of questions, but was the subject of no debate.
Neither of the plans received anything approaching a real vetting or thoughtful consideration. Such mundane concerns as sound policy evaporated in the heated atmosphere of high-stakes maneuvering.
There are a couple of ways to view what happened:
1. With almost everything going for it — a governor's strong support, the perception of a crisis in the horse industry and the opportunity to finance a lot of education building — the slot-machine bill barely squeaked through the Democratic House with just one more vote than the minimum needed for passage. Senate President Williams said there is no way the Senate will approve the House bill. The horse industry might as well forget about expanded gambling in Kentucky and get on with devising Plan B.
2. Expanded gambling has already advanced further than ever before in 15 years of arguing about it. Senators, who presumably will get to consider the bill Monday, are under a lot of pressure from people who want new schools and worry about the future of Kentucky racing if it can't compete with slots-subsidized purses in other states. Even if the Senate rejects slots this time, proponents of expanded gambling should keep pushing the issue for the regular session that begins in January.
Each of these perspectives is probably equally valid.
What's undeniably true is that even if the Senate approves racetrack slots next week, an extremely long shot, the legislation would be subject to a court challenge.
The General Assembly can take up expanded gambling again in January, have time during a regular session to give it the vetting it demands and still have an amendment before voters in 16 months.
An amendment can only be approved during a regular session of the General Assembly, which is why we argued against considering slots during this special session.
It's the possibility of slots that has kept some of the state's smaller tracks holding on as long as they have. They won't go away now if there's a possibility of an amendment next year.
Labels: Kentucky politics
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 10:25 AM
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