Gambling expansion bill sent to Quinn’s desk after long time on hold
BY DAVE MCKINNEY Sun-Times Springfield Bureau chief January 9, 2013 1:38AM
RELATED STORIES
Updated: January 9, 2013 9:03AM
SPRINGFIELD — A dormant gambling expansion bill that would bring a casino to Chicago moved to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk Tuesday after the state Senate’s top Democrat quietly lifted a parliamentary paperweight placed on the plan nearly two years ago.
The likelihood that the governor would affix his signature to the package seemed remote because Quinn has belittled the effort as “top-heavy” and “excessive,” and the top state gambling regulator appointed by the governor called it a “pile of garbage.”
- Cloud Computing SolutionCost-Saving Cloud Computing for Government - Read Case Studieswww.netapp.com/Cloud-Computing
Before the close of the lame-duck legislative session Tuesday, Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) removed a parliamentary hold he had put on the bill immediately after it passed the Senate in May 2011.
By releasing the hold, Cullerton now puts Quinn in a position where he could, should he choose to, use the legislation as a bargaining chip in his stalled pursuit of cuts in state pension benefits. Cullerton has been an active supporter of gambling expansion, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pushed hard for a city casino.
The state Constitution gives Quinn 60 calendar days to act on the gambling bill — two months into the spring legislative session, when presumably finding a way to solve the state’s $95 billion pension crisis will remain on the front burner after lawmakers whiffed at efforts to pass a pension bill this week.
Until the end of the lame-duck legislative session Tuesday, Cullerton had pressed for passage of a pension-cut package he helped craft that would have affected current and retired state workers and members of the General Assembly.
- Top Prostate ReviewsLab Tests Prove Which Ones Really Work! Shocking. Get BPH Relief Nowwww.prostatepillreport.com/BPH
- Windows Server 2012Cloud-Grade Storage Inside Your Datacenter. Learn More Now.microsoft.com/ws2012
- Repeal Obamacare?Should Congress Repeal Obama's Policies? Vote Here Now.www.newsmax.com/surveys
The governor wasn’t on the same page with Cullerton on that pension plan, saying Tuesday that it wasn’t “comprehensive” enough. Meanwhile, Emanuel didn’t help muster votes this week in the House for a state pension plan that Quinn liked.
Cullerton’s 2011 parliamentary maneuver on the gambling bill, referred to in the legislative vernacular as a motion to reconsider, had the effect of putting the measure into a deep freeze by preventing it from going to the governor even though it had passed the House and Senate.
“It’s appropriate to lift all motions to reconsider at the close of the General Assembly,” Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon told the Chicago Sun-Times late Tuesday. “The bills passed both chambers, and the governor is free to act as he chooses.”
The plan, sponsored by Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) and Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), would lead to casinos in Chicago, the south suburbs, Lake County and Downstate plus permit slot machines at racetrack and, possibly, the city’s two airports.
Even before its passage, Quinn had communicated his displeasure toward the bill and later demanded a series of changes in order for him to consider accepting it, including prohibitions on gambling contributions.
Shortly after its passage, Quinn characterized the gambling legislation as “top-heavy” and “excessive” and last August vetoed similar casino expansion legislation. Lawmakers did not mount an override of that veto last fall.
Late Tuesday, an aide to Quinn gave a murky answer when asked about the governor’s intentions with the older gambling bill now bound for his desk. She referred a reporter to previous statements the governor had made about the bill but did not say outright that the governor would veto the package.
“You know where he stands,” Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said in an email response to questions about what the governor would do with the measure.
Because the 97th General Assembly is now in the history books, Quinn can sign or veto legislation that lawmakers sent him before Tuesday. But there is no way for the Legislature to override anything he rewrites or vetoes, meaning Quinn can outright kill legislation with the stroke of his pen.
No comments:
Post a Comment