Slots pass KY House; Williams making Senate vote dubious

[Kasept]

Slots bill passes Ky. House, but Senate may kill it
By Matt Hegarty

The Kentucky House of Representatives on Friday narrowly approved a bill that would legalize slot machines at the state's racetracks, but the leader of the Senate has said that he will not allow the legislation to get a hearing or vote on the Senate floor.

The House voted 52 to 45 to approve the bill, which needed 51 votes to pass. Supporters of the bill have spent the past several days lobbying undecided representatives, and the sponsor of the bill, House speaker Greg Stumbo, a Democrat, attached earmarks that would dedicate a portion of the state's proceeds from slot machines to the construction of schools in order to induce support.

The House vote, though, may be largely symbolic, because Sen. David Williams, the president of the Senate, said on Thursday that the Senate will not take up the legislation because it lacks the votes to pass. On Friday, Williams introduced a separate measure to the Senate's budget committee that would tax lottery ticket sales and direct the revenues to subsidies for purses at Kentucky tracks.

The Kentucky legislature is currently in a special session called by Gov. Steve Beshear to address an estimated $1 billion shortfall in the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. Though Democrats have said that the special session may stretch into next week, Williams said on Thursday that he wanted the Senate to adjourn at the close of business Friday.

[smuthg]

this Williams dude needs to be put down...

Now is the time when Williams' bluff is called.

[Kasept]

Kentucky residents can call their state senator IMMEDIATELY and let their office know that you want HOUSE BILL 2 sent forward to the Senate for a vote...

Sen. Charlie Borders (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 676
Sen. Bob Leeper (I): (vice chair)(502) 564-8100 Ext. 712
Sen. David E. Boswell (D): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 662
Sen. Tom Buford (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 610
Sen. Denise Harper Angel (D): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 633
Sen. Ernie Harris (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 605
Sen. Dan Kelly (R): (502) 564-2450
Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 625
Sen. Vernie McGaha (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 656
Sen. R.J. Palmer (D): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 714
Sen. Joey Pendleton (D): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 622
Sen. Tim Shaughnessy (D): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 621
Sen. Brandon Smith (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 661
Sen. Robert Stivers (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 623
Sen. Gary Tapp (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 648
Sen. Elizabeth Tori (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 645
Sen. Jack Westwood (R): (502) 564-8100 Ext. 615

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Senate President David Williams said Friday that he would send the Senate home if the House doesn't send the expanded gambling bill to the Senate by 4:30 p.m. Monday.



Williams, R-Burkesville, said if the bill makes it to the Senate before then, he would send it to the budget committee where he predicted it would get a fair hearing and then be voted down by committee members.

By a 52-45 vote Friday, the House passed the bill, which will allow video lottery terminals at racetracks.

Williams said the House held the bill back from the Senate to allow casino lobbyists to pressure Senate members during the weekend and on Monday.

The full Senate voted to approve the governor's budget proposal and a measure that creates a funding mechanism for the Ohio River Bridges Project, establishes incentives to lure a NASCAR Sprint Cup race to the Kentucky Speedway and places a 10 percent tax on lottery tickets to boost horse racing purses and breeders' incentives.

Williams said he hopes the House will agree to set up conference committees on those measures Monday afternoon. He said the House could then pass the measures that day and both chambers could adjourn.

http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...NTPAGECAROUSEL

This is good news. It's almost becoming predictable.

http://www.courier-journal.com/artic...pecial+session

Voters were told two years ago that they would get a chance to vote on the expansion of gambling, and polls showed huge majorities wanting to get that chance. Constitutional amendments cannot be proposed in special sessions, and can get on the ballot only when legislators are up for election. The next opportunities will come in the session that begins in January and the election of Nov. 2, 2010. Let that be the day that Kentucky voters finally close this chapter in the state's long history of gambling and focus on other issues.

The Senate subcommittee will hear the bill tomorrow.

[Riot]

Anybody hear anything from the A & R Committee yet? Are they hearing testimony right now? (I couldn't get to Frankfort today)

Out of all the State Senators I e-mailed, the only response I got was from Denise Harper Angel (D), who wrote:

"I will vote in favor of HB 2 in the Appropriations & Revenue Committee meeting and I hope that I have the opportunity to vote on this important legislation on the Senate Floor. Thank you for contacting me. Denise Senator Harper Angel"

Edit: Paulick live-blogging it here: http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/li...slots-hearing/

[Riot]

From Paulick Report:

5:55 p.m. … In closing, Sen. Borders reiterates his believe that every Kentucky legislator wants to helpo the horse industry, but then tips his own vote by saying, "We believe there is already a measure out there that does that. (the Williams alternate plan that taxes the lottery and out of state wagering on Kentucky racing."

Yes, let's totally kill purses here by increasing takeout on those out-of-staters that bet on KY tracks.

The anti-gambling folks are next.
6:00 p.m. David Edmunds of the Family Foundation begins by complaining that Nick Nicholson’s PowerPoint presentation is getting stale. He also doesn’t think the VLT is constitutional, reading from Section 226 of the Kentucky Constitution. He evokes the name of Bernie Madoff in saying his type of pyramid scheme is unconstitutional under Kentucky law. How reassuring.

What a great guy this Edmunds is. Insults Nicholson (always best to start with a personal attack). Disputes what the Attorney General said regarding Constitutionality (just ignore the real facts if you don't like what they say, and make something up out of thin air). Compare the subject under discussion to something that has no similarity whatsoever, but sounds really scary.

And this is the side that will be listened to. Holy crap.

This is hilarious. If they don't allow this bill on the Senate floor it will be a travesty...and they probably won't.

We need to declare war on southern and eastern Kentucky. We need more guns and ammo though.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

This is hilarious. If they don't allow this bill on the Senate floor it will be a travesty...and they probably won't.

We need to declare war on southern and eastern Kentucky. We need more guns and ammo though.

No prob, the south side is loaded with them up here. Will bring down next week

David Edmunds from the Family Foundation is running his co.cksucker as we speak. He has a personal relationship with Jesus.

From their cultish website...

David Edmunds - Policy Analyst

We believe in the sanctity of human life. Life begins at conception and protecting that life is our most sacred duty. When I look at the ultrasound of my unborn daughter I see the creation there and how precious it is. This baby doesn’t have a voice, but we hope to be that voice. We hope that with you we can be that voice for the unborn in Kentucky. For the past 20 years The Family Foundation has been part of a coalition that has helped to protect the unborn. We helped form the Association of Pregnancy Resource Centers, so that these centers could work together to protect the unborn. We helped pass a Fetal Homicide Bill, Parental Consent Legislation, regulations of abortion clinics, and many other efforts that have helped to protect the unborn. Helped to make Kentucky one of the best pro-life states in the country, but we still have a long way to go. There are approximately 4,000 abortions performed in Kentucky annually, and we can do better. Until Roe v. Wade is but a distant memory we will continue to strive for the unborn, for those that don’t have a voice, for those that have a right to life.

A religious nutter vs. People who work for a living. The industry is f.ucked.