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Gambling PhD - Online Casino News - April 2004
Casino Gambling bill one
vote from letting voters role dice.
April 06, 2004
Casino gambling bill one vote from letting voters roll
dice
LINCOLN
(AP) - The odds are improving for casino gambling to make
the November ballot.
A
measure that would allow up to two casinos in Nebraska
moved one vote away from passage in the Legislature on
Wednesday.
If it
clears the final hurdle, it will be put before voters on
Nov. 2.
Lawmakers advanced it to the final round on an
anti-climatic voice vote after a key amendment allowing
for two casinos was adopted 31-14.
The
proposal will need at least another 30 votes on the final
round to pass and be put on the ballot.
Sponsor
Sen. Ray Janssen of Nickerson said he believes the votes
are there to pass it and stop a filibuster if needed. That
would take 33 votes.
"Now we
just have to hold our votes together," Janssen said.
With
the amendment poised for passage, opponents tried to
reverse that action and bring it back to the prior stage
to make other changes. None were successful during more
than five hours of debate Wednesday, but they could try
again when it comes up again next week.
The
debate was heavy on parliamentary procedure, with several
votes required to put the proposal in the right position
to offer amendments. Gambling opponent Sen. Adrian Smith
made several objections to how the debate was structured,
even challenging a handout at one point that did not
indicate who distributed it, which the rules require.
"This
is one of the nuttiest discussions I've ever heard," said
Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, the longest-serving lawmaker
currently in his 34th year.
The
issue was a familiar one to lawmakers.
Over
the past two years, a pair of expanded gambling proposals
had been debated for about 16 hours. But that didn't stop
senators from spending all afternoon on it Wednesday.
"After
18 hours of debate, I'm hearing nothing new," said Sen.
Mick Mines of Blair.
"God
knows we have talked this thing to death,' said Sen. Gene
Tyson of Norfolk.
The
casino gambling issue was thought to be dead for the year
when an earlier proposal (LR14CA) fell a vote short of
shutting off a filibuster. But the issue was revived when
Speaker Curt Bromm of Wahoo made another casino gambling
measure last debated in 2003 a major proposal. That
allowed him to move it ahead of more than a dozen other
bills that haven't been debated at all.
Read the complete article
at:
Columbus Telegram
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