By LARRY THOMAS, Evening News
Larry.Thomas@newsandtribune.com
An attorney's testimony before a joint House-Senate committee on Tuesday likely will have little bearing on an amendment to the state's proposed two-year budget that would prohibit a casino from moving to Clark County, a local legislator said Tuesday.
Larry Wilder, the attorney for the Clark County Gaming Authority, testified on the county's behalf in Indianapolis on Tuesday, arguing that the amendment to the budget should be removed and that free market forces should determine whether riverboat gambling comes here.
Rep. Terry Goodin, D-Crothersville, said Wilder's testimony was impressive, but that it will be difficult for House Democrats to remove the language, which was inserted into the budget by Senate Appropriations Chairman Bob Meeks, R-LaGrange.
"Larry did a very good job," said Goodin, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee whose district includes eastern Clark County. "It's going to be a balance between Senate Republicans and House Democrats."
The budget is one of two bills containing language prohibiting a casino from moving to Clark County. The other bill was written to allow slot machines at horse tracks.
Wilder said Tuesday that he will recommend that the Clark County Gaming Authority continue its work, because the gaming prohibition will expire at the end of 2009 if it is included in the state's budget.
"There is activity that is occurring in this community, as we speak, from outside gaming vendors that I do not think will cease because of this," Wilder said. "The local gaming authority needs to continue to be active in this process."
Gaming referendums failed in Clark County in 1993 and 1995, but in November voters approved the county's third referendum 19,337 to 12,320, or 61.1 percent to 38.9 percent.
Since then, the city of Jeffersonville formed the local gaming commission with representation from throughout the county.