Quinn Vetoes 2011 Gambling Expansion Bill
By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 5, 2013 2:30PM
Gov. Pat Quinn finally was able to veto the gambling expansion bill passed by the Illinois Legislature in 2011 Monday. He would have done it sooner, if not for a parliamentary maneuver by Senate President John Cullerton that kept the bill from reaching Quinn. Cullerton finally released the legislation to Quinn as the lame duck session ended last January. This means its back to the drawing board for the General Assembly.
Quinn had long said he objected to the bill as it provided little in the way of regulatory protections while dramatically expanding gambling to include slot machines in airports, expanded video gambling at racetracks and a Chicago casino. Oh, Quinn also said lawmakers in Springfield should focus on more pressing matters like solving the state’s pension morass everyone’s currently blaming on him.
Quinn restated those positions in his veto letter. (Read the whole thing here.)
Any gaming revenue is a drop in the bucket compared to the $96 billion unfunded pension liability that Illinois faces. I urge lawmakers to prioritize public pension reform, the most urgent issue facing our state. The people of Illinois deserve no less.
Bet Cullerton and Mike Madigan get a new gambling bill passed before that happens.