*** UPDATE 1 *** If you’re watching the veto session live blog, you know that the House has adjourned until November 29th. That date is different than the Nov. 21st date given to House members yesterday. The gaming bill wasn’t called for a vote.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The Senate plans to vote on the gaming bill today. So, watch the live blog for further updates.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Lou may bring the gaming bill up for another vote today. Stay tuned to the live blog. But, yes, this does look like a rare victory for the governor…
Gov. Pat Quinn scored a victory Wednesday night during an otherwise difficult fall session by helping to defeat a controversial gambling expansion bill in the Illinois House.
The revised gambling bill sponsored by state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) incorporated many changes Quinn requested, including granting the Illinois Gaming Board tighter control over five proposed casinos in Chicago, the south suburbs, Danville, Lake County and Rockford.
But the legislation kept a provision allowing slot machines to be installed at the state’s five race tracks, which was a deal-breaker for Quinn and for a few lawmakers who changed their minds since the original measure passed in May. The revised bill failed by a vote of 58-53. A roll call vote was not immediately available. The original gambling expansion measure passed in May with 65 votes.
Lang swiftly moved the failed bill to “postponed consideration,” a parliamentary move that would allow him to bring it back for a vote. But Wednesday’s vote may table the controversial legislation for the time being.
* Lang told me this morning that despite the fact that Gov. Quinn “used tons of resources and people in state government,” to work against his bill, Quinn “flipped exactly zero votes.” The Trib says Mayor Rahm Emanuel also worked the roll call…
Quinn called some lawmakers to try to block the measure as Illinois Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffe contended the new version was “still a pile of junk” despite efforts by supporters to craft a bill to meet some of the governor’s concerns.
On the other side, Emanuel talked to legislators in an attempt to gain support.
* Lang railed against the governor during yesterday’s debate…
Lang and other lawmakers harangued Quinn several times during the debate, rants akin to the ones that used to be directed at Rod Blagojevich. Lang accused Quinn of hypocrisy for saying that he is for jobs but against the addition of slot machines at racetracks, which Lang said would save thousands of horse-industry jobs.
“His response was, ‘No! I’m not interested in agribusiness jobs in the state of Illinois.’ ‘No! I’m not interested in helping central and southern Illinois,’” Lang said. “Even though there is already gambling at racetracks, we’re going to count these as new casinos. How ridiculous. How bsurd.
“Aren’t you angry at this slap in the face? Doesn’t it concern you that the chief executive of our state – one who has talked about job creation, one who has talked about economic development, one who has campaigned on these issues – would stand at a microphone and the part of the bill that most affects you – he said that’s the first thing that needs to go.”
* Whether or not this was a win for Quinn, it was certainly a loss for Lang, Emanuel and the other proponents. Lang’s bill received 58 votes yesterday, two shy of a simple majority, seven fewer than his original bill received in the spring and thirteen votes short of a veto-proof majority…
“This bill is a better bill than the one we passed with 65 votes,” Lang said before his bill failed. “It’ll pay $1 billion in old bills. It’ll put $1 billion into state coffers. It’ll put people to work. We took the changes the governor wanted, even though he wouldn’t sit at the table with us, and put those in the bill.”
* Danville Mayor Scott Eisenhauer tried to stay upbeat, but make no mistake that this was a major setback…
[Eisenhauer] said some lost votes can be attributed to three legislators no longer there due to death and resignation for two of them, and two who supported the bill in the spring were not there Wednesday.
“I think you can get back to 60 (votes),” Eisenhauer said.
“Like every other hurdle we’ve had to jump over, we will regroup, dust ourselves off and start meeting with (legislators) …,” he added.
Eisenhauer said he’d be surprised if the bill came back up today.
“(Nov.) 21st is a possibility or it could go back to the spring legislative session,” he said.
* In other Quinn vs. the General Assembly news, the Tribune obtained the letter from Legislative Inspector General Tom Homer to the governor about why he closed his “Buttongate” probe. Quinn had demanded the investigation…
The practice of one lawmaker voting the button of his legislative seatmates is widespread, though officially not allowed. In a memo to Quinn, Homer wrote that the voting rule was violated but that he found no evidence of “malicious intent” nor any conspiracy by House leadership or the bill sponsor in how the vote went down.
“As a result, I do not believe the matter rises to the level of an ethics violation actionable by my office. Nor do I recommend that the Legislative Ethics Commission take any official action with respect to the matter,” Homer wrote.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:11 am:
It might be a victory for the governor but it is even a bigger win for Indiana
- Ahoy - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:21 am:
Maybe they should just go with the original and try to get the veto-proof… or maybe the Gov should just agree to sign the original and stop the goofyness of being opposed to gambling at gambling places.
- walkinfool - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:27 am:
One Man: Really? You mean the legislators in Indiana don’t sometimes vote their seatmate’s buttons too, when there is no malicious intent, and there is a corrective process available immediately on the floor? You mean business leaders are tracking this issue closely? LOL
BTW this was not a “victory for the governor”, just the opposite — or were you just submitting your general all-purpose comment regardless?
- walkinfool - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:29 am:
OneMan: I apologize for my comment above, I thought you were referring to buttongate. I was mistaken and out of line.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:29 am:
walkinfool, he was referring to the gaming bill. I know veto sessions are intense, but calm the heck down.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:29 am:
walkingfool…
I was referring to no Chicago or South Suburban casino and how that would be a positive for Indiana, button stuff is on a different thread.
- walkinfool - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:33 am:
Calming down boss.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:39 am:
lol, thanks.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:44 am:
No worries dude…
- spinning - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:51 am:
maybe I’m developing vertigo or something, but I’m not quite understanding how this is a Quinn win. Either that or I am not able to keep up with the considerable spin occuring.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 11:58 am:
spinning.
It’s a Quinn Win(tm) because he doesn’t want gaming expansion and without a ‘better’ bill, ideally one without a veto proof majority it isn’t going to happen.
Therefore Quinn Win(tm)
- just sayin' - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:02 pm:
Good for Quinn. People respect a guy who sticks to his guns and the more the sleazy Springpatch lawmakers attack him, the better he looks.
- Cook County Commoner - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:08 pm:
Would someone please inform me why my State Rep from Skokie, Lou Lang, is the mouthpiece for gambling and horse racing (sorry “agribusiness”) in the State Assembly? He’s got nothing worthwhile to say at town hall meetings and appears mute on issues truly important to his community like good jobs (not serving drinks at the slots), infrastructure, schools, and the like.
- Plutocrat03 - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:15 pm:
So a more sensible approach, like allowing a Chicago owned casino with no add-ons an no go?
- Das Man - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:17 pm:
==A roll call vote was not immediately available==
Is this open government? Why wouldn’t the votes from last night be publicly available? Weren’t there any reporters covering this, perhaps taking pictures of the board with the vote tally? I am surprised that one has to be a fly on the wall in the gallery to gain knowledge of who voted for what during an open session of the Illinois House of Representatives.
- chaching - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:19 pm:
Cha-ching cha-ching cha-ching Whats that I hear? Illinois residents putting money into slots machines located in Wisconsin and Indiana!!!!! Also can hear their state governments rejoicing!!
- Ghost - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:20 pm:
This expansion contains the kind of pay to play sweatheart deals that we are supposed to be ending in IL.
There is absolutleyno reason fialing race track owners should automatically get a license while everyone else has to bid for them
The race horse industry is not sustainable and is owned by a few wealthy families in IL. They already get millions in property tax credits. We need to stop giving things to the few connected wealthy people.
Expand gambling by adding licenses, and then have groups who want the licesnes compete for them so the State can obtain the best deal. owning a failing buisness should not have as an automatic prize you get a highly valuable and sought after gambling license.
On anothernote, i we wantto attract new money to the State we should have gambling position sin the airport. Capture the traelers passing through the international airport. This is a no brainer. We miss a huge source of possible revenue from flyers killing time between flights; and the ability to raw on out of state travelrs so that we are not just feedining on our own.
No to guranteed positions at the tracks (if they can be the top bid for a license go for it) and add positions at O’hare
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:25 pm:
Das Man, subscribers have access to a photo of the Big Board.
Just sayin…
- Cam McAndrews - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:31 pm:
Pretty vitiolic debate last night. Was really amused that the only person to stand up for the Gov. was a conservative Republican! While many thought Rep. Lang was overboard and shot himself in the foot, I thought it was refreshing to hear him stand up to the Governor and support agriculture and horseracing. There is no mistake, the bill would create jobs…
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:44 pm:
Win for existing Illinois casinos, especially Rivers, as well.
- Das Man - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 12:50 pm:
Thanks Rich:)
Interestingly, when I called the Legislative Information “Hotline”, I was told that the vote had been “thrown out”, as it was on postponed consideration. I thought that was pretty weird, so I contacted a reporter at the SJ-R familiar with the bill. He said that he had personally not taken a picture of the board, and knew of no other way to secure the vote record on this bill. I will highly recommend to the SJ-R that they do as you have directed, and become a subscriber to your very informative blog!
It will be interesting to see how the votes compare when this bill is brought before the chamber once again by the gentleman from Skokie.
- Doug Dobmeyer - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 1:15 pm:
The gambling bill like others for 22 years before it failed. It is a good day for Chicago that we are not saddled with a casino promoted by suburban legislators with a neophyte mayor. Hats off to Gov. Quinn on thius victory…he showed some of the guts he built his reputation on!
Doug Dobmeyer
- Leaving Now - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 1:55 pm:
The senate is not going to take up the gaming bill today. Going to wait until the 29th.
- mokenavince - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 1:56 pm:
Without racinos the bill is dead,downstate really needed the help.Jobs hardly seem to be in Quinn’s
crosshairs.Indiana is the big winner.
- steve schnorf - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 2:10 pm:
Oneman, didn’t the Governor say a few weeks ago that getting a revised gaming bill passed was one of his top three priorities for the veto session?
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 3:37 pm:
Reintroducing elk to the Shawnee national forest would create 1600 permanent jobs and tens of millions for state coffers.
Let’s not pretend that racetracks are the ONLY way to create jobs downstate
- puzzled - Thursday, Nov 10, 11 @ 6:42 pm:
Lets see. Governor Goofy wins, Illinois looses thousands of construction jobs (people employed to build the casinos) thousands of permanent jobs (people employed to operated work in, clean up, deliver products to, and otherwise produces revenue and tax dollars for the state). Now I understand how he won, he will ok and expand thousands of speeding cameras across the state in order to collect $100.00 fines from the thousands of unemployed Illinois citizens rushing to unemployment offices. Then he can place even more cameras on state borders to fine the thousands of former citizens rushing to exit this laughing stock of a state. I guess that is Gov. Goofy’s idea of job creation. Give a contract to an out of state vendor (probably Mike Madigan’s son-in-law) to pick the pockets of Illinois citizens $100.00 at a time. Goofy please due us a favor, RESIGN and get the hell out of Illinois before you surpass Blogo in completely destroying Illinois. U R a COMPLETE JOKE
- bigdaddygeo - Friday, Nov 11, 11 @ 6:37 am:
Ghost - “Expand gambling by adding licenses, and then have groups who want the licesnes compete for them so the State can obtain the best deal. owning a failing buisness should not have as an automatic prize you get a highly valuable and sought after gambling license.”
Replace “failing business” with “failing municipal government”. To paraphrase the least popular CEO in Illinois, I have more money in my left pocket than Chicago will pay as a licensing fee to get 4,000 positions; a perpetual (!) exclusive license in Chicago; and a marginal tax rate of 20%.
This is a guess but I think there are unemployed people in Danville. The legislation somehow doesn’t have a no bid casino license for the city of Danville.