Only Days Left for Illinois Casino Bill to be Passed
With only two days remaining before the present session of the Illinois legislature draws to a close for summer recess, the fate of a much talked about casino expansion bill hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the measure, known as Senate Bill 1739, or SB1739, is full of earmarks that would redirect some $250 million in revenue away from state coffers.
Money would be used for various projects
While many of the proponents of the legislation, which still awaits a vote in the Illinois House of Representatives, champion its potential to generate millions of dollars to be put toward education, infrastructure, and other much-needed state projects, the Tribune is reporting that language buried deep within the bill designates that a portion of funds will go toward state and county fairgrounds, a “Latino community economic fund,” research on horses, and a grant to the Chicago Botanic Garden, amongst a laundry list of other recipients.
Suburbs who lose casino bid still stand to benefit
And though the bill has yet to be passed by the House, much less signed into law, municipalities are already fiercely competing to gain a casino license. In fact, the former sponsor of the bill in the Illinois House, State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie) stepped away from his association with the measure last week due to the fact that he is working with a law firm to help Calumet City in its bid to acquire a casino.
SB1739 would allow for the construction of five new land-based casinos in Illinois, including one in downtown Chicago, in addition to green-lighting the installation of slot machines in Chicago’s two major airports, Midway and O’Hare.
While competition is fierce for the four suburban casino licenses, those who do not secure the casino for their city will still share in the profits, owing to language in the bill that calls for casino proceeds to be split amongst a handful of suburban towns and villages.
Such earmarks are typical
According to Illinois State Senator Dave Syverson, a Republican who represents the city of Rockford, which is hoping to secure a casino of its own, there is nothing unusual with such earmarks.
“It’s probably no different than any other major bill … money is shared around,” Syverson said. “Clearly, Chicago and the Chicago area is going to be a huge winner, so to put extra pork into Chicago is something that’s probably not necessary — but something that happens as part of the process.”
State hoping to compete with neighbors
The legislation currently being hotly debated in Illinois is typical of a larger debate that is raging around the nation as states look for ways to find sources of revenue to shore up state and local budgets that continue to struggle in the aftermath of the recession. Illinois, currently facing a $100 billion public employee pension shortfall, has for years watched revenue literally drive across its borders, as gamblers travel to Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa to place their wagers.
This is something that many in Illinois hope will change with the passage of SB1739, though with time running so short, it might not be in the cards at the moment.
