Pol Watchers

Capitol sign-in sheets missing

Several pages of Capitol visitor sign-in sheets apparently have disappeared, including those from a day that Gov. Steve Beshear met with racetrack executives and horse breeders.

According to Mark Hebert of WHAS, logs from Jan. 7, 8 & 9 are missing. Hebert requested copies from Kentucky State Police, who man the doors.

State police told him after "a thorough search" that neither they nor Finance and Administration Cabinet's Facilities Building Services, where the records are retained, can find them.

The Herald-Leader requested -- and got -- the records in January.

The Jan. 9 sheets have several board members from the Kentucky Equine Education Project coming in that morning: Nick Nicholson, president of Keeneland; former Gov. Brereton Jones; WinStar Farm president and CEO Doug Cauthen; Churchill Downs racetrack president Steve Sexton; Lane's End Farm general manager Bill Farish; and U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO John Long. Other horse industry names on the sheets: Louisville surgeon and thoroughbred breeder Dr. David Richardson; Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association executive director Marty Maline; and Kentucky Downs owner Corey S. Johnson.

Also on a sign-in sheet for Jan. 9: Bill Yung, at 10:25 a.m., apparently for the governor's officer. But representatives of Beshear's office have denied meeting with the Northern Kentucky hotelier and casino owner.

Hebert is expected to have a story about the sign-in sheets on WHAS 11 Monday night.

- Janet Patton

Casino bill far short of 60 votes

By Janet Patton And Ryan Alessi
JPATTON1@HERALD-LEADER.COM | ralessi@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT -- Gov. Steve Beshear and House leaders committed on Thursday to passing casino legislation even if it doesn't set aside licenses for racetracks.

But that concession might cost the bill several Democratic votes and any possible Republican votes, leaving it far short of the 60 needed to pass the House.

"We're at a point now to where we do have a bill out and beginning to move. I believe all five of the House leadership and I are committed to continuing this process, beginning to count votes, and to move this along," Beshear told reporters in his office after he met with Speaker Jody Richards and the other four House Democratic leaders.

Both Beshear and Richards promised to allay horsemen's concerns about the draft.

"I want to be very clear that the horse industry is a very important part of this whole process. They're part of the reason I am pushing so strongly to get an amendment like this on the ballot," the governor said. [...]

Still, the current version has turned off potential supporters of the casino proposal on both sides of the aisle. So the proposal starts many votes shy of the necessary 60 to pass the House, as a bipartisan bloc holds out to see whether the horse industry will reluctantly embrace it or whether someone can come up with a compromise.

Clark, D-Louisville, said horse industry support is crucial to passing any casino bill.

"I think if the industry is not satisfied in some way, no version of the bill will pass," Clark said. "I think they have that much influence on the vote count. I think you've got to get at least 10 Republicans, and maybe 12, to get to 60."

Republican Floor Leader Jeff Hoover of Jamestown said that is "not going to happen." In fact, he said the "several" Republicans most likely to support a casino bill are unhappy with the way the current bill leaves out tracks.

CONTINUE READING STORY

Governor backs casino plan pushed by Richards

Gov. Steve Beshear and House Democratic leaders met Thursday and agreed to support a casino bill approved Wednesday by a House committee -- if they must to keep the bill moving.

Afterward, they committed to move a casino bill through the House in coming days -- even if it doesn't guarantee casinos for racetracks.

"I am comfortable enough with it to keep this moving down the field," Beshear said of a constitutional amendment backed by House Speaker Jody Richards.

That bill allows open competition for nine casino licenses.

Beshear promised to address concerns of the racing industry later.

"Any enabling legislation that does not give protections to the horse industry I will veto," he said.

- Janet Patton

Governor 'encouraged' that casino bill is moving

Gov. Steve Beshear said he was "encouraged" by the House committee passing a casino bill to the full House on Wednesday but added that he will be working to help address concerns of the horse industry.

"I am encouraged by the quick response to my call for action to move a version of this amendment along," the governor's statement said. "I am aware of the concerns that Kentucky’s signature industry - the horse industry - has about this version of the amendment, and I plan to continue meeting with House leadership to find a way to address those concerns."

Meanwhile, Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson questioned the process that led to passage of this current version of the casino bill -- including the changing of committee membership late yesterday. House Speaker Jody Richards replaced Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, after she voted against the version he preferred. In her place, he selected two Democrats who were supportive of the draft he favored.

"House Speaker Jody Richards has shown Kentuckians just how easy it is to fix the odds in favor of the ‘house.’ Regardless of where Kentuckians stand on the issue of allowing expanded gambling, it is truly disappointing to see Jody Richards stack the deck against Kentucky’s signature industry in favor of big casinos,” Roberston's statement said.

- Ryan Alessi

Casino bill clears committee

A day after casino-bill drama, a House committee met briefly and easily passed, by a 7-2 vote,a constitutional amendment that would allow casinos in Kentucky.

The proposal now goes to the full 100-member House.

The House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee — with a slightly different makeup than when it met on Tuesday — approved a version that calls for nine casinos, of which as many as five “may” be at horse racetracks.

The horse industry has opposed that version. Industry representatives say that they could be shut out by all free-standing casinos.

On Tuesday, that committee failed to pass a version that the horse industry found friendlier because it allowed five casino licenses for horse racetracks.

See Thursday’s Herald-Leader for more details about this story.

- Ryan Alessi
       

Casino committee will meet today

Chairman Darryl Owens has called a meeting of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee for 4 p.m. today to take up a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow casino gambling in Kentucky.

House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said in an interview that he believes his preferred version of a constitutional amendment will gain approval from the committee. He was less certain about the bill's prospect in the full House.

Richards removed one member from the committee on Tuesday and replaced her with two others who are supporters of his amendment, which specifies that racetracks may get up to five of nine licenses to operate casinos.

Another proposal would guarantee that racetracks get five licenses.

MORE TO COME

- John Stamper

Lawmaker who cast key vote gets kicked off panel

SPEAKER REPLACES SIMS WITH TWO ALLIES

UPDATED 4:50 p.m. with response from the governor

After Democratic Rep. Dottie Sims switched her vote in Tuesday morning's crucial committee vote on a proposal to allow casinos in Kentucky, House leaders booted her off the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

The House Committee On Committees, meeting at the Speaker's podium during Tuesday's legislative session, replaced Sims with Rep. Tim Firkins, D-Louisville -- a key ally of Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green. In addition, Rep. John Will Stacy, D-West Liberty, was added.

The move bolsters the ranks of committee members who agree with Richards' preferred version of the constitutional amendment that would allow casinos. But it rankled the chief backer of the alternative casino proposal -- the one supported by the horse industry.

"You can't pass the bill the right way, can we?" said Rep. Larry Clark, speaker pro tem, in disgust. He later told reporters the move was "the cheapest form of petty politics."

He said it was "retribution. I objected to that, but I got out-voted," he said.

Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins and Caucus Chairman Charlie Hoffman sided with Richards to out-vote Clark on removing Sims.

The governor issued a brief statement after the committee membership switch, stating: "This bill has already taken a number of strange turns and it looks like it might take another one. I continue to urge the House leaders to quickly get its act together."

Sims cast a key vote earlier in the day when the constitutional amendment committee met to consider the issue. When it came time to vote on the version of the casino constitutional amendment that Richards backed during Tuesday morning's committee meeting, Sims paused before voting "No."

She then voted against an alternative proposal backed by Clark and House Majority Whip Rob Wilkey before changing her mind and voting for it, giving that draft the necessary votes to be considered by the committee. And when the committee voted whether to approve that draft and send it to the full 100-member House, Sims joined Wilkey and Clark as the only members to say "Yes."

Sims said in an interview she had initially planned to vote for the version Richards backed but changed her mind because no one came to testify before the committee in favor of that version. Wilkey invited three horse breeders to speak in favor of his version.

Sims, of Horse Cave, said she has horse owners in her district and was concerned with the version Richards was backing because it didn't set casino licenses aside for race tracks. 

"They weren't guaranteed. It just stated up to nine casinos," she said.

Later, Richards said his preferred proposal failed because "one vote didn't vote like we thought she was going to."

After learning she had been removed, a visibly upset Sims told reporters that she considered the move akin to "communism."

"The only thing I did wrong was I said I'd vote for the bill and I didn't," she said.

Rep. Danny Ford, R-Mt. Vernon, then raised a question on the floor about the addition of two Democrat to the committee, giving it nine Democrats to three Republicans. He asked whether the GOP could have a greater representation.

"Your leader and I will talk about that tomorrow," Richards responded.

- Ryan Alessi

Casino amendment fails in committee

UPDATED THROUGHOUT AT 11:30 A.M.

An internal leadership struggle in the Democratic caucus has derailed, at least for the time being, a constitutional amendment that would allow casino gambling in Kentucky.

Two competing versions of the amendment, pushed by different factions of House leadership, failed in the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee Tuesday morning.

The two factions have been fighting over wording in the proposed constitutional amendment, House Bill 550, that determines whether race tracks are guaranteed a specific number of casinos.

After the committee meeting broke up, several expressed doubt that a compromise could be reached this session. Rep. Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, for instance, said the horse industry may have asked for too much and doomed any casino proposal.

"What you saw today was an industry that cut off its nose to spite its face," Stumbo said. "I think the bill's probably dead."

UPDATED at 12 p.m.: Gov. Steve Beshear, who met privately Monday night with House leaders in an effort to salvage his top legislative priority, issued a statement after Tuesday's committee meeting calling on House leaders "to get their act together quickly." (FULL STATEMENT BELOW)

The version backed by House Speaker Jody Richards, committee chairman Rep. Darryl Owens, D-Louisville, and others states:

The General Assembly may enact laws permitting the operation of no more than nine casinos in the Commonwealth, of which no more than five may be established by horse racing tracks.

The horse-industry-supported draft backed by House Majority Whip Rob Wilkey, D-Scottsville, Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, and others states:

The General Assembly may enact laws permitting the operation of up to five casinos by horse racing Associations licensed by teh Commonwealth as of January 1, 2008, and up to four other casinos. At no time shall the number of casinos authorized to operate in the Commonwealth exceed nine.

Here is the progression of votes:

1. The 11-person committee voted on whether to consider the version  recommended by Richards' House casino task force, which allowed nine licenses. It failed 5-6.

Voting Yes were: Reps. Melvin Henley,D-Murray; Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville; Kathy Stein, D-Lexington; Stumbo and Owens.

Those voting NO were:  Reps. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville; Clark; Joe Fischer, R-Ft. Thomas, Mike Harmon, R-Junction City; Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave; and Wilkey.

2. Then the Wilkey-Clark proposal came up to be considered by the committee. Voting Yes were: Bratcher, Clark, Fischer, Harmon, Sims and Wilkey.

Voting No were: Marzian, Stein, Stumbo and Owens

Henley passed.

At first, however, Fischer said he "passed for the moment" and Sims initially voted against that version. Both then changed their votes to Yes after learning that that version, too, would fail.

Harmon, the Junction City Republican, prefaced his vote with a statement saying he opposes casinos but "if something does get out of here, I want to make sure the horse industry is covered."

3. Finally came the full committee's vote on whether to approve the Wilkey-Clark version and send it to the full House for its consideration. The measure failed with three yes votes, five no votes and three passes.

Voting Yes were: Clark, Sims and Wilkey

Voting No were: Bratcher, Fischer, Harmon, Stumbo and Owens

Passing were: Henley, Marzian and Stein.

Here's Beshear's full statement:

“The entire leadership of the House of Representatives has on numerous occasions publicly and privately committed to me to work in a unified manner in passing a Constitutional Amendment allowing the issue of limited expanded gaming to be placed on the ballot.

Today’s actions, as well as inactions evidenced in the Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee, very clearly demonstrate that House leadership remains deeply divided.  House Leadership should remember that more than 80% of Kentucky voters want the right to express themselves on this amendment.    

Such a disagreement also seriously threatens the people’s right to decide for themselves whether or not they favor capturing the hundreds of millions of new dollars now being lost to other states.  These are dollars that could be available to us for education, health care and other vital services.

I publically call on them to get their act together quickly.  Only with their unified support will this amendment stand a chance of passage.”

- Ryan Alessi

Fate of casino bill could come down to one vote in 11

The 11 members of the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee will have the red-hot casino issue and all the political intrigue that comes with it plopped in their laps at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Here's how it will go down:

• Two House leaders -- Reps. Rob Wilkey and Larry Clark -- will offer up a committee substitute version of the constitutional amendment that will call for "up to five casinos by horse racing Associations licensed by the Commonwealth as of January 1, 2008 and up to four other casinos."
• Rep. Darryl Owens, the committee's chairman, will offer up the draft that the subcommittee on casinos passed last week as a competing committee substitute. (That, by the way, is the draft that House Speaker Jody Richards is putting his weight behind.)
• To be adopted by the committee, a committee substitute requries the majority of however many members are present.
• Whichever version is adopted will then require six votes -- a majority of the 11 members on the committee.

So who has the votes?

Wilkey says his proposal does. But he noted "it's a fairly divided group."

Rep. Greg Stumbo -- placed by Richards on that committee 11 days ago -- said he thinks the version that Owens and Richards are pushing has the most support on the committee.

But it's a fairly fluid group. Wilkey of Scottsville and Clark of Louisville are both on the committee, and will, of course, back their proposal. Clark might be able to talk fellow Louisvillian, Rep. Kevin Bratcher, a Republican, to side with them.

On the other side, Owens has the backing of Stumbo and likely -- though not definite -- support from Rep. Melvin Henley, D-Murray, and Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville.

But the remaining four votes on the panel -- two Republicans and two Democrats -- are more mysterious at this point.

The two Republicans, Rep. Joe Fischer, R-Ft. Thomas, and Rep. Mike Harmon, R-Junction City, are both opposed to casinos, so it's unclear what direction they might go.

Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, can be unpredictable in her voting. And Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, played coy last night when asked which side she's on.

She said she wants to see what proposals are offered up and whether a new version emerges. When pressed, she said she didn't know if another draft is in the works Monday night in time for the 8:30 a.m. Tuesday committee meeting.

"I want to make sure whatever we do, we make sure we not only protect but augment the thoroughbred industry in Kentucky," she said.  "I’ll just have to see what comes up in the morning."

"Nobody knows what I’m going to do from day to day," she said.

- Ryan Alessi

Committee will decide casino bill wording

After meeting with House Democratic leaders Monday night, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear said a House committee will decide Tuesday morning the form of the constitutional amendment allowing casinos.

Beshear also said that the top-ranking legislators must be "unified" for the gambling proposal to pass.

Beshear acknowledged that the House leadership team has been divided over the issue of whether tracks should be guaranteed casino licenses. But Beshear said he would be fine with any of the drafts that are currently in front of lawmakers. Some are more explicit than others about how many licenses would be granted to tracks.

Beshear proposed 12 casinos. All the House proposals call for nine casinos -- some specify five licenses for tracks, while others say tracks could get up to five, leaving open the possibility of no licenses for tracks.

If approved by the legislature, voters would have to approve the constitutional amendment allowing casino gambling.

- Ryan Alessi