Otter takes the reins
JEFF SELLE/jselle@cdapress.com | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 1 month AGO
COEUR d'ALENE - A bill to repeal historic horse racing in Idaho cleared its final hurdle in the Legislature Thursday, and is headed to the governor's office for a signature.
The bill, SB 1011, was introduced by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, which contends the slot-like historic racing machines are unconstitutional.
"We commend the Legislature for having the courage to take up this important and contentious issue. We know this was difficult for some with so much riding on the outcome and we appreciate that they took the time to thoroughly examine the matter and separate facts from emotion," Chief Allan of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe said in a prepared statement. "Ultimately, I believe Senate Bill 1011 made a statement that the Idaho Legislature will vigorously uphold the Idaho constitution. To the overwhelming majority of legislators who supported this bill, we applaud you for your leadership."
Earlier this year, the chairmen of four Idaho tribes sent a joint letter to the governor and attorney general asking that illegal gaming be stopped.
A handful of community leaders in North Idaho also sent a joint letter to the governor and attorney general asking the same.
The horse racing industry, on the other hand, spent the past several months trying to convince lawmakers that the machines are legal and constitutional.
The Legislature passed a law in 2013 to allow pari-mutuel historic horse racing machines, but the machines that were installed in three locations in Idaho looked more like slot machines and that upset some legislators.
During the debate on Thursday, Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, told her colleagues that she has talked with lawmakers who approved the 2013 legislation that authorized the machines, and they felt like they had been misled.
"One legislator said, 'I was shown what looked like a microwave oven and it had a horse race screen on it," she said, adding the horse race played on the screen for about five minutes.
She said the machines that were installed have "bells and whistles and cherries and bananas" on them, much like a video slot machine.
Lawmakers who were supporting the racing industry argued that heavy investments had been made in historic racing as result of the 2013 law, and the Legislature had no business trying to determine if the machines are constitutional or not.
Rep. Christie Perry, R-Nampa, sponsored the enabling legislation in 2013. She said while the appearance of the machines are different than the original machines lawmakers saw back then, they operate in the same manner.
"They are not slot machines," she said. "Slot machines are a different animal."
Others argued that the Legislature is not the proper venue to determine if the machines are legal or not.
Both Reps. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens and Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls, made that point, and Cheatham took it one step further, saying the Legislature is denying due process.
Cheatham said the Legislature is aware of an ongoing investigation by the Post Falls Police Department to specifically determine if the machines are legal.
"I was deeply disappointed that the Tribe did not wait for the for the Post Falls Police Department to bring forth the results of their investigation," Cheatham said. "It interrupted the due process that was taking place at Greyhound Park, which might determine the truth, in addition to Greyhound Park possibly clearing its name."
Now that the Legislature has voted to repeal the 2013 law, Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug said depending on what the governor does, it looks like the issue may be dead.
"We more than likely will not continue with the investigation if the machines are going to be banned on July 1," he said, adding some components of the investigation are costly. "I don't see that as a good use of the taxpayers' money if they are banned."
Douglas Okuniewicz, manager of the Greyhound Park and Event Center, said he is hopeful the governor will veto the bill.
"It's hard to do a Monday morning quarterback on that deal," he said referring to the debate before the final vote. "A lot of them already had their minds made up."
Even if the governor does veto the bill, SB1011 was approved in the House 49-21 and passed the Senate 25-9, so conceivably there could be enough support for the bill to get a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the Legislature to override the veto.
"As far as votes go on the bills, I don't think that is a perfect barometer," Okuniewicz said. "Overriding a veto is a whole different thing. It has other considerations.
"But it's in the governor's hands now," he added. "We are hopeful he sees things the way we do."
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