Casino news source: Beloit Daily News - http://www.beloitdailynews.com/
Casino oversight bill passes
Posted: Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 - 02:32:46 pm CDT
By Julie Becker
The Wisconsin Assembly passed Assembly Bill 205 - a measure that would require legislative oversight and approval on off-reservation casinos - following a brief debate Tuesday.
The Republican-controlled Assembly approved the proposal in a 57-38 vote, with three Republicans voting against it, and seven of nine Milwaukee Democrats supporting it.
Although not surprised, Rep. Chuck Benedict, D-Beloit, who voted against the proposal, said he was disappointed by the approval.
“This bill would basically provide an 11th hour legislative veto of projects that have already been approved,” he said. “As we get closer and closer to the final decision (with the Beloit casino), the legislature, like last year, wants to weigh in on it and that's just not necessary.”
Benedict added that the bill may or may not be debated by the Democratic-controlled Senate and, if passed there, it would also have to be approved by Gov. Jim Doyle, who vetoed a similar measure during the 2005 legislative session.
“There are two hurdles before it yet,” he said.
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, agreed the future of the bill is bleak.
Although she could not immediately be reached for comment, Robson has said in the past that, following the bill's passage in the Assembly, it would likely be assigned to an “unfriendly” committee in the Senate, thereby eliminating any debate or hearing on the issue.
“If it doesn't get scheduled for a hearing, it won't pass the Senate,” Robson said last week.
Beloit Casino Spokesman Joe Hunt said tribal officials for the St. Croix and Bad River bands of the Chippewa stand opposed to the measure, describing it as an attempt to “fix something that's not broken.”
“The federal government granted the authority to the governor, and that's worked very well in Wisconsin,” Hunt said, adding that the legislature has supported the current system in the past. “We're hopeful that, like it's predecessor AB 461, AB 205 will not become law.”
The Beloit Casino application is currently undergoing review at the federal headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where it has been since January. |
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