MO State Rep. Cooper accepts casino lobbyist gift then files legislation to remove loss limits

From Randy Turner at the Turner Report:

Two days before Rep. Shannon Cooper, R-Clinton, submitted a bill to remove the loss limits for Missouri casinos, he may have been conducting some in-person research at one of those facilities. Documents posted minutes ago on the Missouri Ethics Commission website indicate Cooper, whose bill would also limit the opening of new casinos in the state, thus lessening competition for those already here, had $771.17 for “hotel accommodations” paid for by Matthew Clark, lobbyist for Ameristar Hotel and Casino in Kansas City.

HB 2403, introduced by Cooper Feb. 7, though it begins with numerous additions to current law directed toward putting casino money into education, it ends up being the answer to every current state casino owner’s wish list.

This certainly is not the first time that reports about political contributions coinciding with legislative action have appeared concerning Rep. Shannon Cooper.

To view the Casino Watch report on political contributions from gambing special interests to Missouri state legislators, click here.

Kentucky House bill on casinos labeled ‘dead’

From One News Now by Ed Thomas:

Legislation changing the Kentucky state constitution to allow casino gambling is a dead issue until at least 2010, says an opponent of the bill, after backers of the measure failed in their bid to get it out of the state House and before voters this November.

Governor Steve Beshear conceded that the bill has no chance of passing before the current session ends and could not garner the 60 votes necessary once out of committee to pass on the House floor. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports despite a chamber dominated by fellow Democrats — and a proposal by Beshear revealed to members several weeks ago involving casino and racetrack distribution — advocating parties could not come to terms on specific benefits for each venue.

Several coalitions of both religious and secular opponents are breathing a sigh of relief in the state, according to Dr. Nancy Jo Kemper of Citizens Against Gambling Expansion (CAGE). Kemper, who is also executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches, says she is relieved. There are now many happy opponents, she says, including those in groups other than hers, who fought the effort to bring casino gambling into the state.

“We believe that it is in the best interest of the people of the state, and all of our businesses as well, that this kind of predatory economic enterprise has not been allowed to gain a foothold here in Kentucky … and we can preserve the things that are more appropriate to our state,” says Kemper.

The anti-gambling activist explains that since it involves a constitutional amendment, the bill cannot be brought back up inside the legislature’s session until an even-numbered year, which makes it a dead issue.

Beshear had made the drive to get a referendum ballot into the hands of voters part of his campaign platform last year as a proposed solution to help the state’s budget woes.